AARP Hearing Center

Medicare can be complicated. But it doesn’t have to be.
This federal health insurance program for adults 65 and older, plus younger people with certain disabilities, pays for the largest share of health care services in the United States.
You’ll need to know whether you’re eligible, when to enroll and the options available — not just for insurance plans but if you are still working, have retired from a military or government job or need some financial help. You’ll find the answers to key concepts that every new beneficiary should know in this series.
Series overview
1. What Is Medicare and How Does It Work?
2. Medicare Eligibility: Do You Qualify?
3. Do You Get Medicare Automatically?
4. When to Sign Up for Medicare
5. Medicare’s Many Confusing Enrollment Periods
6. How to Sign Up for Medicare
7. 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Medicare
8. Medicare and Your Preexisting Health Problems
Next in Series
Understanding Medicare's Plans and Costs
Medicare's role in simplifying health care costs