Hoplite Agency LLC and it's associates offer Medicare Supplements, Medicare Advantage, Prescription Drug Plans, Individual Marketplace Health Plans, Final Expense Life Insurance, Term Life Insurance, Whole Life Insurance, Hospital Indemnity Plans, Cancer/Heart Attack/Stroke Plans, Accidental Coverage, and more.

To be eligible for Medicare, you. must be a U.S. citizen or legal resident and you must meet one of these requirements:

• Age 65 or older

• Younger than 65 with a qualifying disability

• Any age with a diagnosis of end-stage renal disease or ALS (Lou Gherig's disease)

You should be automatically enrolled in Medicare Part A and Part B if you're receiving Social Security or Railroad Retirement Board benefits when you become eligible. You'll receive your Medicare card in the mail.

If you aren't receiving Social Security or Railroad Retirement, you'll need to enroll yourself in Medicare when you become eligble. Go to ssa.gov/benefits/medicare to enroll online, or call or visit your local Social Security Office.

*** If you have a disability or medical condition you will automatically be enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B after your 24th month of disability. You will still have a 7-month IEP. Enrollment timing for people with ESRD or ALS is based on the time of diagnosis and other factors. ***

You have a 7-month Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) for Medicare. It includes the month you turn 65, the 3 months before and the 3 months after. It begins and ends a month earlier if your birthday is the first day of the month.

Your coverage begins the first day of your 65th birthday month if your enrollment is completed during the first 3 months of your IEP. If your birthday is on the first of the month, your coverage begins the month prior. Your coverage start date may be delayed if you sign up later.

You may enroll in Medicare Part A, Part B, or both. You may also add additional coverage such as a Medicare Supplement and Prescription Drug Plan, or a Medicare Advantage plan. It highly encouraged that you enroll in a stand alone Prescription Drug Plan, or a Medicare Advantage plan with prescription coverage so that you may avoid any late enrollment penalties for Part D.

• Part A (Hospital Insurance): Covers inpatient hospital stays, skilled nursing facility care, hospice, and some health care

• Part B (Medical Insurance): Covers doctors visits, outpatient care, preventive services, and rubble medical equipment.

• Part C (Medicare Advantage): Offered by private insurance companies. Combines Part A and B, and often includes Part D and other extra benefits like dental, vision, and hearing.

• Part D (Prescription Drug Coverage): Helps cover the cost of prescription drugs. Offered by private insurers approved by Medicare.

You can enroll during your Initial Enrollment Period (IEP), which starts 3 months before the month you turn 65, includes your birth month, and ends 3 months after.

Other enrollment periods include:

Open Enrollment Period or OEP (Jan 1 – Mar 31)

Annual Enrollment Period or AEP (Oct 15 – Dec 7)

Special Enrollment Periods (SEP) for qualifying life events (e.g., losing employer coverage, moving to a new area, gain/loss of state assistance, etc.,)

Part A is usually free if you or your spouse paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years or 40 quarters.

Part B has a monthly premium (most people pay the standard rate).

Part C and Part D have varying costs depending on the plan you choose.

Original Medicare does not cover most dental, vision, or hearing services. However, many Medicare Advantage plans do offer these as extra benefits.

Yes. If you're still working past 65, Medicare can work alongside your employer coverage. Whether Medicare is primary or secondary depends on the size of your employer.

If your employer has less than 20 employees, then Medicare would be primary, and employer coverage secondary.

If your employer has more than 20 employees, then your employer coverage would be primary, and Medicare secondary.

With many options out there, it can be difficult to choose. The main things to consider when you're choosing are the following:

• Are you comfortable choosing a health care provider from within a provider network or do you want to be able to choose any provider that accepts Medicare patients?

• Would you rather have prescription drug coverage included in one plan or buy a separate Part D prescription drug plan?

• Would you rather pay a low or $0 monthly premium and copays for in-network services as you use them or potentially pay more in monthly premiums and have lower out-of-pocket costs for services you receive?