What if I’m still covered at work?

In most cases, you can keep the health plan you have and enroll in Medicare when you retire.

  • If you have other insurance, like through your work, there are rules for whether Medicare pays first. If your employer has fewer than 20 employees, you may need to sign up for Medicare.
  • If your employer has 20 or more employees, it's likely you can keep your medical coverage through your job and wait to get Part B, you’ll have eight months from when you retire to add Part B without a penalty. When you’re ready to add Part B coverage, contact your local Social Security office.
  • If you keep getting creditable drug coverage through your job, you won’t pay a penalty if you add Part D later.

It’s important to talk to your employer before choosing to find out how their coverage works with Medicare and if there are other things you should consider.