My husband is in the process of signing up for Medicare Part B. The first step involves making a phone call. The second step involves filling out a form. It looks very simple. We are hoping that it will work out the way that we want it to.
Medicare has four parts to it. My husband is currently getting Medicare Part A. This part has been called “hospital insurance”. It covers inpatient care in hospitals, inpatient care in skilled nursing facilities and hospices, and home health care services.
There are two ways to be eligible for Medicare Part A. You have to be age 65 or older, and an American citizen. Or, you can be younger than age 65, and an American citizen who is disabled. My husband is legally blind, and this makes him eligible for Medicare Part A.
This year, he is working on getting enrolled in Medicare Part B. This part of Medicare has been called “medical insurance”. It covers doctors’ visits, outpatient care, durable medical equipment, home health services, and other medical services. It will cover preventative services.
Most people enroll in Part B at the same time that they enroll in Part A. In our case, my husband didn’t need to do that because I had health insurance through my job that covered both of us. My employer sponsored health insurance covered the same types of things that Medicare Part B would. So, he didn’t sign up for Part B immediately.
A few years ago, I lost my job, and our health insurance along with it. We decided that now would be a good time for him to sign up for Part B. The first step involved calling Social Security on the phone. Eventually, an agent spoke with him, and said that she would be mailing him a one page form to fill out.
That one page form has now arrived. It really is just one page long! It came with a cover letter that basically explained that he was being mailed this form because he requested it. It notes that it is important that he complete the form and mail it back to the Office of Disability Operations. There is a toll free number he can call if he needs help with the form.
Surprisingly, the form arrived with part of it already filled out for him. It has his name, and his Social Security number, already listed in the appropriate boxes. Whoever filled that part of the form out before sending it also was kind enough to put an x in the box that indicates that he wants to enroll for medical insurance under Medicare.
This leaves my husband to fill out his address and phone number, and to sign the form. The back of the form has information about a Privacy Act, and more information about applying for Medicare. The form came with an envelope to mail it back in, with an address already printed on it. Simple!
Image by Beatrice Murch on Flickr