Can I delay Medicare sign up until I officially retire?

Rather than rely on we the people, as I suggested before CALL your local SS office to BE ABSOLUTELY SURE!

I don't know what this "Medicare for Dummies" is OR if the rules are changing in 2018, but the same info about the number of employees (I did not compare word-for-word, but it appears that whether the insurance is under your name or your spouse, the same information seems to be provided - this person asked about spouse insurance, but ANYONE else can check this page or talk to your local SS office) is on the MEDICARE.GOV page and it discusses the differences between insurance needs for companies with more or less than 20 employees. The section on spousal insurance is copy/pasted HERE:

medicare.gov/sign-up-change-plans/get-parts-a-and-b/should-you-get-part-b/should-i-get-part-b.html#collapse-5783

"I have coverage through my spouse who is currently working.
The size of the employer determines whether you may be able to delay Part A and Part B without having to pay a penalty if you enroll later.

The employer has fewer than 20 employees.

You should sign up for Part A and Part B when you're first eligible. In this case, Medicare pays before your other coverage. Learn more about how to get Parts A and B.

Note
If you don’t enroll when you’re first eligible, you may have to pay a Part B late enrollment penalty, and you may have a gap in coverage if you decide you want Part B later.

The employer has 20 or more employees.

Ask the benefits manager whether you have group health plan coverage (as defined by the IRS). People with group health coverage based on current employment may be able to delay Part A and Part B and won’t have to pay a lifetime late enrollment penalty if they enroll later.

How you delay your coverage depends on your situation:

If you’ll be getting benefits from Social Security or the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) at least 4 months before you turn 65, you’ll automatically get Part A and Part B. You'll get your red, white, and blue Medicare card in the mail 3 months before your 65th birthday. If you don't want Part B, follow the instructions that came with the card. If you keep the card, you keep Part B and will pay Part B premiums.
If you won’t be getting benefits from Social Security or the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) at least 4 months before you turn 65, you don’t need to do anything when you turn 65.
If you’re eligible for premium-free Part A, you can enroll in Part A at any time after you’re first eligible for Medicare. Your Part A coverage will go back (retroactively) 6 months from when you sign up (but no earlier than the first month you are eligible for Medicare). If you aren't eligible for premium-free Part A, and you don't buy it when you're first eligible, you may have to pay a penalty."

I do not recall where I read it, but there was discussion about whether the less than 20 employee coverage is considered a "group" policy. There is ALSO discussion around Part D (drug coverage) that can be CRUCIAL to this decision and Medigap availability (From a PBS post: "Medicare Beneficiaries have an Open Enrollment Period that begins when they enroll in part B and lasts for six months. During this period, they can purchase any Medigap policy available in their state. And they cannot be denied or charged more because of a pre-existing condition or health history. This guaranteed access to Medigap is, however, a one-time deal.")

AGAIN, I would highly recommend you make an appointment with SS and discuss ALL your options, face to face. Bring a list of all these issues so that you have correct information before you make this important decision. This is NOT a simple decision between one insurance or another and a wrong decision could affect you negatively for a very long time!!!

There is an excellent description of several scenarios here:
medicarerights.org/PartB-Enrollment-Toolkit/Medicare-and-Current-Employer-Insurance-Scenario

I was aware there was a penalty for not signing up in that 7 months around big birthday #65. This did not apply to me, but reading this posting brought questions to my mind since there are so many different explanations. That link (if it does not post, I did a search on "medicare sign up and suspend" and selected the PDF titled "How Medicare and Insurance Through Your Current Job Work Together" posted by medicarerights.org.
I also read somewhere (here or during my search) that things might change in 2018. I would read this PDF AND talk to your local SS office (recommend LOCAL office as calling the main 800 number can take a long time getting through the menus and then a nasty long wait on hold!) Even better, make an appointment with the local office, AND talk with whoever handles insurance at work to get the right information to bring with you!

MidKid58 if DH was still working FT and had Medical insurance though his current employer he wouldn't end up with the penalty when he does sign up for Medicare. He would just need to show proof that he was insured by that employer. He would need to enroll in Medicare preferably in the 3 months prior to him quitting working(retiring). He could sign up in the 3 months after but would end up with a lapse in his coverage.

Yes you should apply for Medicare a couple of months before you turn 65 to avoid delay in coverage.  If you wait until you are 67, as an example, you will be charged a penalty each year after that.  You can also apply for Social Security at 65 while still working with no penalty as long as your income is not above a certain level.

If you are still working or are on your spouse’s insurance, then Medicare will be secondary to your other insurance.  This will be true as long as your spouse has you on her plan, whether or not you are no longer working.  Once she retires, Medicare will then be your primary insurance and you have an option to purchase a supplement insurance.  

Depending on your health and finances will determine whether or not you feel you need a Medicare supplement plan.

The answer is yes, you can. However, when you do retire and then sign up for Medicare, you will have to obtain a letter from your employer, stating that you had health coverage with them so that you don't incur a penalty with Medicare.

Bella7 - It is about 10% for every 12 months. So currently if you are 65 and sign up, your rate would be $134.00 a mo. If you waited until you were 68 to sign up, your rate would be about $170 for the rest of your life.

Here is what I understand about this situation. Everyone should sign up for Medicare Part A within the 7 month period described above. This coverage is free to eligible people. Most employer plans require you to sign up for Part A when you are eligible. The employer coverage becomes secondary.

There is a penalty if you fail to sign up for Part B when you are eligible UNLESS you have other coverage, like through your employer or your spouse's employer. The insurance company should provide you with paperwork showing that you had coverage. This also applies to Medicare Part D, which covers prescription drugs. If your other coverage includes drugs, you will not face a penalty for late enrollment. If and when your other coverage ends, you will need to sign up for Medicare Parts B and D to avoid the penalty.

I would think that's wife's insurance would make it mandatory to get Medicare. Her insurance would then become your supplemental. If she pays towards her insurance, this may lower her premium. You need her to talk to her benefits person. Make sure that if u go this way that Medicare knows they r the primary and wife's is secondary. Had this problem when my husband's insurance changed to my supplimental.

Need to clarify a few things here. Is your wife still currently employed or is this retiree insurance. There is an exception to enrolling in Medicare A & B when turning 65. If you are covered by your wife's current health insurance coverage that is from her current active employment you do not need to enroll. Part A is usually free so they recommend enrolling in that just as a secondary insurance. Your wife's employer has to have over 100 employees as well. You can see it is complicated so I advise that you contact someone in your local Social Security Office (their Number is located in the government section of your phone book) to discuss it from them. Don't rely on everything you are told here or though your wife's employer. Each situation has it's unique circumstances so be sure you are making the right choice. Also for general questions you can contact you local Hiicap representative at you county Office For Aging.

I see a lot of conflicting information here. I think you might find help if you go to medicare.gov. What I learned from my Medicare questions by listening to those around me, if you have other insurance, you register with Medicare, but your insurances work it out. You shouldn't pay for both, and your coverage probably won't change.  Once you register, you will get a booklet in the mail that answers all these questions.  Also, you will probably be deluged with advertising from AARP, and their information will cover these questions, and you can trust their answers. BUT, if you are on Covered California or a similar government healthcare plan, you will be dropped once you hit Medicare.   I would think you can have private (or military, or local government) insurance instead of Medicare, but not anything to subsidized by the federal government (called Affordable Care Act [ACA] or Obamacare)

Medicare is costing the federal government billions, yet you are required to sign up for it at age 65 or face the penalty instead of waiting until you decide to start collecting social security, Medicare is first payee and private insurance becomes second payee. Private insurance companies are padding their profits while our federal debt grows larger. I wouldn't doubt the insurance lobbyists are behind this ridiculous ideology.

Oh, great.

DH turned 65 last Feb. Of course he put off signing up. I did not know there was a lifelong penalty.....(sigh) one more thing he's forgotten to do that's gonna cost us. SO now he signs up at 66 (still working, still FT) and we will sign up and he will be penalized for life for being too busy to do this----I KNOW HR kept after him to sign.....he's so scatterbrained.

You must sign up for Medicare within your 7 month window: 3 months before, the month of, or 3 months after your 65th birthday. It does not matter whether or not you are receiving Social Security. If you do not signup during this 7 month period you will have penalty pricing once you do. Once you sign up you can delay using those benefits. There are many seniors who signed up for Affordable Care Medical Programs (Obamacare) or have other medical health insurance who think that they do not have to sign up bor Medicare BUT you have to sign up for Medicare regardless. Note for others who may have missed this: there is currently a reprieve for those that ended up in penalty pricing. If you contact Medicare they will waive the penalty and return you to regular pricing. If you are confused see if there is a HICAP (Health Insurance Counselling and Advocacy Program) counselor in your area. There is no charge and they are not brokers so they will not steer you into a policy that may not be the best for you.

Penalty? Like how much?

CarlacBs and others: My husband has Medicare and I am getting my health ins thru my work. I am far from eligible for Medicare. What would happen if I put him on my insurance? Would his Medicare be his primary and mine his secondary?

Yes you do have to sign up. It doesn’t mean you will use Medicare services but yes. My hubby just went through this last September.

CarlacBs post is really REALLY important to understand.
For us, hubs almost 70 has a great employer health insurance that I’m on & our son is on. Hubs signed up for Original Medicare at 65 but suspended both Part A & B. All health paid by his insurance - United - with whatever copay. But starting in 2018, if there is a Part A hospitalization (not day surgery or in hospital observation) for him, the hospitalization will be Medicare primary with United Secondary. His co. is doing this for any employees or their dependents who are Medicare eligible. United is still the primary for all things that would be considered part B coverage as the premiums are taken out for that from his salary.
Like Carla said it’s a common feature. But not all employers do a decent job of getting the info out on what it means.

Not only is there a penalty for delaying, but if you check your wife's health plan you may discover that once you become eligible for Medicare, that plan becomes a secondary payer and Medicare becomes primary. That means that the plan will only cover expenses that Medicare doesn't cover. I had my (ex) husband covered under my plan at work and that was what happened when he turned 65. It's a pretty common feature - employer plans don't want to pay for someone who is eligible for care paid by the government.

Ricknadeau, I agree with geewiz, there will be a penalty if you don't sign up at 65.

Decades ago my Mom waited until Dad was 65 [she was 4 years older] to sign for Medicare because she was getting excellent insurance through Dad's company. What a shock when she found out about that penalty. Thus she had to deal with that penalty for the next 30 years.

I'm guessing the question refers to Medicare. And YES you must sign up or you will be charged an annual penalty for the rest of your life. Medicare dot gov has all the info you need.

Are you talking about Medicare or Medicaid?. Medicare is health insurance for everyone over 65. Medicaid is a program for the impoverished.

Are you talking about Medicare or Medicaid. Medicare is health insurance for everyone over 65. Medicaid is a program for the impoverished.