Find the Medicare plan tailored for your needs.
Most people qualify for Medicare at 65 if they or their spouse paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years. Younger people may also qualify if they have a qualifying disability or certain conditions like end-stage kidney disease.
Whether your hospital is included depends on which Medicare Advantage plan you choose and whether that hospital has contracted with it. You need to verify this directly before enrolling, because hospital participation changes and directories aren't always current.
Yes. Social Security and Medicare are separate programs. You can sign up for Medicare at 65 while delaying Social Security retirement benefits, but you will need to enroll in Medicare actively since it won't happen automatically.
The biggest mistake is choosing a plan based on premium alone, without checking whether your doctors are covered, what your prescriptions will cost, and what you'd owe in a serious medical situation.
Plan G is a Medigap (Medicare supplement) plan that covers most of the out-of-pocket costs Original Medicare does not pay, including the 20% coinsurance you owe after Medicare pays its share. The one cost it does not cover is the Part B deductible.