Personalized Service (505) 234-5156
Personalized Service (505) 234-5156
FAQs
When Can I Add Part B to My Medicare?
Original Medicare, the government-sponsored health insurance program, includes Medicare Part A (hospital insurance) and Part B (medical insurance). Because Medicare Part B typically comes with a monthly premium, some beneficiaries delay enrollment in Part B (for example, if they have health coverage through employment), and may want to enroll in Part B later.
U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents of at least five continuous years may be eligible for Medicare coverage. You’re usually enrolled in Medicare Part A and Part B automatically when you turn 65 or qualify by disability at any age and you receive Social Security Administration (SSA) or Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) benefits. For details about how you qualify for automatic enrollment, see Medicare Enrollment.
You’re not automatically enrolled in Medicare Part B in all situations. Here are a few examples of when you may qualify for Part B, but you need to sign up manually:
- If you live in Puerto Rico, you’re typically signed up for Medicare Part A automatically when you turn 65 if you’re collecting SSA or RRB benefits. However, you need to sign up for Part B manually.
- If you have end-stage renal disease (ESRD, a type of kidney failure), regardless of your age, you may qualify for Medicare but you generally have to apply manually.
- If you’re not receiving SSA or RRB benefits when you turn 65, if you want to enroll in Medicare Part B, you need to sign up for it.
You can sign up for Medicare Part B during the following enrollment periods:
- The Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) for Part B, when you’re first eligible for Medicare. Your IEP typically starts 3 months before you turn age 65, includes your birth month, and lasts for 3 months after your birth month. That’s a total of 7 months.If you’re under 65 and disabled, you generally qualify for Medicare after receiving Social Security (or certain disability benefits from the Railroad Retirement Board) for 24 months. In this case, your 7-month IEP goes from the start of your 22nd month until the end of your 28th month of receiving disability benefits.If you sign up for Medicare Part B during your IEP, you won’t face a Part B late-enrollment penalty.
- The General Enrollment Period (GEP), which runs from January 1 to March 31 of each year. You may enroll in Medicare Part B coverage if you are eligible. If you enroll in Part B during a GEP, it will be effective July 1 of the year in which you apply. You may have to pay a late-enrollment penalty. Your Part B premium may go up 10 percent for each 12-month period that you could have had Medicare Part B but did not sign up it.If you didn’t take Medicare Part B when you were first eligible because you or your spouse were working and had group health plan coverage through your employer or union, you can add Medicare Part B coverage during a Special Enrollment Period (SEP). You can sign up during the following periods under the Part B SEP:
- While you’re still covered by the employer or union group health plan
- During the 8 months following the month the employer or union group health plan coverage ends, or when the employment ends — whichever is first.
To add Medicare Part B, contact the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY users 1-800-325-0778), 7AM-7PM, Monday to Friday. For additional information, contact Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY users 1-877-486-2048), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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Safety Precautions During COVID-19
Screening Patients and Staff Upon Arrival to Our Offices
We ask that you don’t just walk into our offices if you are ill with respiratory symptoms but instead call first before coming in to avoid unnecessarily exposing others to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Most individuals can enroll online or over the phone with one of our licensed agents to avoid one-on-one meetings. In the event that a in-person meeting is necessary you will be subject to our business screening questions prior to meeting and each person's temperature will be taken by a touch less thermometer.
Enhanced Cleaning Procedures
The COVID-19 coronavirus can live for hours to days on surfaces like countertops and doorknobs. How long it survives depends on the material the surface is made from. Rest assured knowing the CCP has enhanced cleaning procedures for all of our offices to keep our staff and patients safe. Between patients, our office teams clean using the products EPA-approved for use against the virus that causes COVID-19. We have also increased the frequency and types of cleanings we get by our professional cleaning partners to ensure our practices are safe to visit every day at any time.
Face Masks or Coverings Worn at All Visits
In order to protect our member, friends, clients and staff, we are asking that everyone abide by the NM Department of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines and the Governor executive order that everyone wear a face covering to places where social distancing is difficult to maintain, including our offices.(Updated: 6/26/2020)
We also ask that customer's limit their guest for in-person to 1 visitor for their consultation.
If you do not have a mask one will be provided.