You will receive a Medicare card in the mail. Show it to any care providers, and tell them if you have health insurance through an employer or other source. If you are turned down for Medicare coverage that you believe you should get, or if you do not receive payment for something you think should be covered, talk to your social worker, nurse, or doctor about the problem first. Explain what happened and what you would like them to do about it. This is an important decision that you should talk about with your dialysis or transplant social worker or financial counselor, SSA representative, or employee benefits office.
Some insurance companies have low yearly deductibles and copayments.
Copayments are what you pay after the insurance company has paid their portion. If your deductibles and copayments are high, you might want to apply for Medicare to pay the deductibles and copayments as a secondary payer. This means you pay less with Medicare than you pay with your insurance, even though the percentage remains the same.