Why didn’t I get a notice about my Medicare enrollment when I was turning 65 but my neighbor did?
Not everyone gets an initial enrollment period packet or is automatically enrolled in Medicare after turning 65. Only people who already receive Social Security or U.S. Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) benefits are sent a notice and automatically signed up for Medicare Parts A and B. Even if you are automatically enrolled in Medicare, you have the option to decline Part B. Just check the box on the back of the card indicating you do not want Part B (which covers visits to the doctor) and return the card to Medicare. If you don’t apply for Social Security or RRB benefits before turning 65, you will not receive a notice about enrolling. You will need to start by visiting ssa.gov or calling 800-772-1213.

My monthly drug plan premium includes a late-enrollment penalty for the year I didn’t have coverage. How are penalties calculated?
Your Medicare drug plan premium includes a late enrollment penalty because you went more than 63 days before signing up for drug coverage. Medicare calculates this penalty by charging a percentage of the current national average drug plan premium; you pay 1 percentage point for each month you were without creditable coverage. In 2026, the national base beneficiary premium is $38.99. If you went 12 months without creditable coverage, your penalty is 12 percent of $38.99, or about $4.68, which is added to your monthly plan premium. The penalty is calculated off the base beneficiary premium, not your plan’s premium, so enrolling in a cheaper plan will not lower it. Your penalty will vary each year. It reflects drug plan premiums, which change.

We moved my mom to live closer to us, and now she no longer qualifies for the assistance program that pays her Medicare premium. How can she be eligible in one state but not another?
The programs that pay your mom’s premium are called Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs). These programs help people with limited income and assets afford Medicare and are run through each state’s Medicaid office. The federal government sets basic income and asset limits, but states can choose to allow higher amounts, which means eligibility rules are not the same everywhere. In your mom’s case, it’s possible that she no longer qualifies because the state she lives in now has stricter rules than where she lived before. Contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) at shiphelp.org to learn about the eligibility requirements.

What is a benefit period under Medicare?
A benefit period is how original Medicare measures your use of Part A hospital and skilled nursing facility (SNF) services. It begins the day you’re admitted to a hospital or SNF and ends after 60 days without inpatient care. There is no limit to the number of benefit periods allowed in a year. Each time a new benefit period starts, you pay the Part A deductible ($1,736 in 2026). Medicare covers up to 90 hospital days and up to 100 SNF days per benefit period. Copays apply after 60 hospital days and 20 SNF days. All Medigap plans pay the Part A deductible and cover the hospital costs, but fewer cover the SNF coinsurance. Most Medicare Advantage plans have their own rules for inpatient stays.