Medicare is amazing health insurance, but if there’s one knock on it, it’s how famously complicated it can be. And there are a lot of deadlines, especially for those who are new to Medicare, and enrolling for the first time.

These deadlines actually matter, because if you miss one, the government can make you pay monthly fines for the rest of your life. Even worse, you could lose your window to buy what they call “non underwritten” MediGap plans. This could put the price of MediGap permanently out of reach. This is why we say missing deadlines is the most dangerous thing you can do when you’re new to Medicare.

The good news is, with a little knowledge and a little effort, it’s not too hard to hit the deadlines and protect yourself. We also created a free service to make it super simple and make sure you never miss a deadline.

So What Are These Important Deadlines?

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Deadline 1: Part B Enrollment

This one is slightly tricky because it can be one of two dates. It’s either 3 months after your 65th birthday, or it’s 8 months after your employer coverage ends if you previously chose to keep your employer health plan and didn’t enroll in Medicare at 65.

The penalty: If you miss this deadline, you’ll have to pay 10% more per month for Part B for each year you were late. So if you sign up 2 years late, you’ll have to pay 20% more per month (which would be a fine of $36 per month in 2025) for the rest of your life.

Deadline 2: Part D Enrollment

Similar to the Part B penalty, you’ll pay a fine, but in this case it’s calculated for each month you’re late.

The penalty: You’ll pay a 1% surcharge fee for every month past the deadline. This fine also follows you for life.

Deadline 3: Medigap Open Enrollment

Though we put it last, we feel this one is by far the most important. If you miss the first two, you can still get the coverage you need if you pay the fines. But if you miss the MediGap deadline in most states, it could really cost you. The reason?

The penalty: MediGap insurance companies are required by law to offer everyone the exact same plans at the exact same rates. They can’t deny you, and they can’t “underwrite” you (meaning they can’t review your medical history and use that against you to deny or upcharge you). BUT, if you miss the deadline, all bets are off. They can outright deny you or force you to go through their medical underwriting process. And they can charge you whatever they want. So what we feel is the best deal in senior health care goes out the window. Just because you missed a deadline.

How Can I Make SURE I Don’t Miss a Deadline?

Hitting these deadlines is so important, we developed a special personalized Medicare reminder service for our clients. Now we’re opening it up to everyone, even folks who aren’t clients (yet ☺). If you think it could help you make sure you don’t miss a deadline, you can sign up here.

Here’s how it works: it personalizes on your birthdate and your retirement plans, and then starts the clock on your 64 and a half birth date. It’ll send you an email and a text reminder 1 month and then 1 week before each of the critical deadlines. And if you ever need help or have a question about any of those deadlines, you can just reply to the text or the email and we’ll be right there to answer and help.

Does this sound helpful? If it does, you can sign up right below!