To make the most out of your Medicare benefits, it’s a good idea to create a plan for your enrollment. Your plan should not only incorporate the benefits that you’ll get from Medicare, but also take into account the actual timing of when your benefits will start. Read this quick article to get the basics on Utah Medicare eligibility requirements.

When You Meet Utah Medicare Eligibility Requirements

You should focus on determining when you’ll be able to enter Original Medicare because this is the building block on which all of your Medicare coverage will be built. Entry into Medicare is governed by federal law that splits eligibility and entry into two separate qualifications. Every citizen or permanent legal resident of the United States is eligible for Medicare. The only question is when your coverage will begin.

Most people become eligible to enter when they turn 65 years old. This is frequently called “ageing in” to Medicare. If this is how you’ll enter, you should know that you’ll be given a seven month enrollment window. You can apply at any time during this enrollment period, which is called your Initial Election Period (IEP). If you miss this window somehow, you’ll potentially be subject to late enrollment penalties.

There is an exception to the need to enroll during your IEP. If you’re still working, and covered by your employer, or spouse’s employer, plan, you can safely delay your Part B as long as the employer has more than 20 employees. If you choose to do this, you can enroll in Part B when your employer group coverage ends in the future.

There are also a few times when you might enter Medicare early, or before age 65. This will happen if one of these happens to you:

• You receive federal disability income payments for 24 consecutive months
• You’re diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease
• You’re diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease

If you meet any of these three criteria, you’ll automatically enter Medicare, regardless of your age at the time.

Utah Private Medicare Insurance Eligibility

When you enter Medicare for the first time, you’ll also be given the chance to enroll in a private plan to go with your Part A and B coverage. There are three kinds of private Medicare plans: Part D Drug coverage, Medicare Supplement Insurance, and Part C Medicare Advantage plans. Each one of these has slightly different eligibility rules.

Part D drug plans have the easiest eligibility rules. You can be any age, and you only have to be enrolled in either Part A or Part B.

Medicare Advantage plans are slightly more restrictive. You have to have both Part A and Part B in place. However, there is no age requirement.

It can be difficult to get Medicare Supplement Insurance in Utah if you’re under 65 when you enter Medicare. Federal rules don’t require insurance companies to offer this coverage to people under 65; it’s up to each state to set its own rules about this, and Utah doesn’t have a law requiring it. You might find that you have to use Part C or Part D if you meet the Utah Medicare eligibility criteria before turning 65.