Do I automatically get Medicare when I turn 65?
The short answer
It depends on whether you're already receiving Social Security benefits. If you are, you're typically enrolled in Medicare automatically at 65. If you're not yet collecting Social Security, you usually need to sign up yourself.
The full explanation
If you're already receiving Social Security retirement or disability benefits before you turn 65, Medicare will generally enroll you in Parts A and B automatically. You'll get your red, white, and blue Medicare card in the mail about three months before your 65th birthday. You don't have to do anything to trigger that. But if you haven't started Social Security yet, which is common because many people wait until 66, 67, or even 70 to collect a larger benefit, Medicare won't enroll you automatically. You'll need to sign up yourself during your Initial Enrollment Period, which is a seven-month window that starts three months before your 65th birthday month and ends three months after. Missing that window without a qualifying reason can mean a permanent late enrollment penalty added to your Part B premium. There's also a group of people who have Medicare through disability. If you've been receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) for 24 months, Medicare typically kicks in automatically at that point, regardless of your age. The bottom line is that automatic enrollment isn't guaranteed just because you turn 65, and assuming it will happen when it won't can be a costly mistake.
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