Nebraska Department of Insurance

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THE NEBRASKA HEALTH INSURANCE INFORMATION, COUNSELING, AND ASSISTANCE (NICA) PROGRAM

MARCH 1999 NICA NEWS

DEFINITIONS

ENROLLMENT IN MEDICARE

Automatic Enrollment

If you are already getting Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefit payments when you turn 65, you will automatically get a Medicare card in the mail. If you are disabled, you will automatically get a Medicare card in the mail when you have been a disability beneficiary under Social Security or Railroad Retirement for 24 months. The Medicare card will show that you can get both Medicare Hospital Insurance (Part A) and Medical Insurance (Part B) benefits. If you do not want Part B, follow the instructions that come with the card.

Initial Enrollment

You may not automatically get a Medicare card in the mail. You will have to apply for Medicare benefits if:

You have not applied for Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefits;
Government employment is involved; or
You have kidney disease.

You should file your application during your initial enrollment period to avoid late enrollment surcharges under Medicare Part B. Your initial enrollment period is a seven-month period that starts three months before the month you first meet the requirements for Medicare. If you do not sign up for Medicare during the first three months of your initial enrollment period, there will be a delay in starting your Part B coverage. Your coverage will be delayed from one to three months after enrollment.

General Enrollment

If you do not enroll for Medicare Part B any time during your initial enrollment period, you will not have another chance to enroll until the next general enrollment period. A general enrollment period is held each year from January 1 through March 31. If you enroll during this period you will not be able to get Medicare until July of that year. You may also be charged a premium surcharge for late enrollment (unless you are covered under a group health plan based on current employment).

Special Enrollment

If you are covered by a group health plan when you are first able to get Medicare, you may be able to delay enrollment in Part B or premium Part A without premium surcharge and without waiting for a general enrollment period to enroll. The group health plan must be based on current employment. It cannot be a plan for retired people. You can sign up for Part B or premium Part A any time while you are covered under a group health plan if:

You are 65 or over and your group health coverage is based on your own or your spouse's current employment; Or
You are disabled and your group health coverage is based on your own or a family member's current employment.

If you have chosen to delay enrolling in Part B or premium Part A because you don't need Medicare coverage while you are covered under a group health plan, you may enroll during an eight-month period.

If you are 65 or over, your eight-month period begins when you or your spouse's current employment ends; or your coverage under the group health plan ends, whichever comes first.
If you are disabled, your eight-month period begins when the current employment ends; the plan is no longer classifiable as a large group health plan (one that covers 100 or more employees); or when the plan coverage is terminated, whichever comes first. Contact Social Security as soon as employment ends, or the plan coverage ends or changes, to be sure that you get the information you need about enrolling in Part B.

Outreach Speaking Engagements

January was a busy month for speaking engagements for NICA and the Volunteers. Tiffany Geis, the Seniors Program Coordinator, gave two presentations on Medicare+Choice. One engagement was on a Nebraska Public Radio call-in show. The other was on 10/11 News, at noon. Tiffany created interest in the NICA program and the phones were busy.
Several people are still calling about the NICA commercial with Jean Meyer. Thank you again, Jean.
Adalia Brophy and Sonny Konter both gave talks on the Living Trust Scams article from the December Newsletter. For this article, we thank the Attorney General's office. Once again we have been provided with information about what is happening throughout the state of Nebraska.