In order to make the most of your enrollment into Medicare, it’s a good idea to make a plan as far in advance as possible. If you make a point of being informed about the details of eligibility and enrollment, you’ll be able to have a stress-free enrollment. To help you get started, read this short guide to the unique Washington DC Medicare eligibility rules.

Washington DC Medicare Eligibility Rules

Many people have questions about Medicare eligibility; they’re afraid that they’ll miss their enrollment and pay a late penalty. It’s important to first make sure that you will in fact be eligible to get Medicare coverage. This is easy to verify; if you’re a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident, you’ll be eligible for Medicare. That’s the only true eligibility requirement.

When you’ll actually enter Medicare and start using your benefits is another question. Entry into Medicare depends on meeting certain life events. There are a total of four events that will trigger your enrollment into Medicare:

• Turning 65
• Being diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD)
• Being diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease)
• Getting federal disability payments for 24 consecutive months

While turning 65 is the standard enrollment trigger, the other three allow you to get coverage at any age, even if you’re much younger than 65.

If you’re eligible to enroll at 65, you have a simple choice to make. Do you want your Part B benefits to start right away? If you plan to keep working, and you have qualifying employer coverage, you might decide to delay taking Part B until you retire.

Assuming that you want your coverage to begin at 65, you’ll have to enroll during your seven month enrollment period to avoid late enrollment penalties. Your enrollment period opens three months out from your 65th birthday and closes three months after the month you turn 65. Unless you’re automatically enrolled, you need to sign up for Parts A and B during this window. You will be automatically enrolled only if you’re already receiving Social Security retirement benefits when you turn 65.

Original Medicare, Parts A and B, is usually just the starting point for health coverage for most people. Most Americans choose to add at least one of the three private coverages available. These private Medicare options are designed to limit your out of pocket costs when you use your Medicare benefits. One of the most popular options is Medicare Supplement Insurance.

Washington DC Medicare Eligibility For Medicare Supplement Insurance

Washington DC is in a unique position when it comes to Medicare Supplement Insurance eligibility rules. Since it is not a state, it falls under the federal rules for Medicare Supplement Insurance. The other 50 states have the option to create their own laws for Medicare Supplement Insurance for people who enter Medicare before age 65.

Washington DC does not require insurance companies to offer Medicare Supplement Insurance to people who qualify for Medicare early. If you meet the Washington DC Medicare eligibility requirements before you turn 65, you will probably not be able to get affordable Medicare Supplement Insurance. However, when you turn 65 years old, you’ll have the right to get supplement coverage at that time. If you are 65 or older when you meet the eligibility requirements, you’ll have no trouble getting Medicare Supplement Insurance in Washington DC.