ASK RUSTY (cont.)

(when you stop working).

“Creditable” is a group plan with more than 20 participants. If you now have “creditable” employer healthcare coverage (including drug coverage) you won’t be liable for a Late Enrollment Penalty for enrolling in Medicare (or a drug plan) later. If you are still working and know your creditable employer coverage will end soon, you can enroll for Medicare benefits to start coincident with the end of your employer coverage.

Or, after you stop working, you can enroll in Medicare during a “Special Enrollment Period” (or “SEP” for those transitioning from employer coverage to Medicare coverage). Your SEP for Medicare will last for 8 months after you stop working, but you only have 63 days after the end of your employer drug coverage to enroll in a Part D prescription drug plan.

The bottom line is this — you don’t need to enroll in Medicare until your creditable employer healthcare coverage ends. And you don’t need to apply for Social Security until you wish to start receiving benefits (just don’t wait beyond 70).

One final point because you were born in 1953: if you are now married and your wife is already collecting her SS, you can file a “restricted application for spouse benefits only” and collect only a spouse benefit from your wife, while still allowing your own benefit to continue to grow until you are 70. But this option is only available to you because you were born before January 2, 1954.

This article is intended for information purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance.

It presents the opinions and interpretations of the AMAC Foundation’s staff, trained and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA). NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or ASK RUSTY (cont.)

any other governmental entity. To submit a question, visit our website (amacfoundation.org/programs/

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