What Do I Need To Know About Signing Up For Medicare? 
Medicare Benefits are started automatically the first day of the month you turn 65 if you are already getting benefits from Social Security or the Railroad Retirement Board . Youll get your red , white and blue Medicare card in the mail 3 months before your 65th birthday . If youre not getting Social Security or Railroad Retirement Board and youre close to 65 , youll need to sign up . You can contact Social Security 3 months before you turn 65 , the month of your 65 birthday and 3 months after the month you turn 65 . Generally you wont pay a premium for Part A ; Part B will be deducted out of your Social Security Benefits and is based on your income . If you are still covered by your employers insurance you can decline your Part B coverage and save yourself that cost and apply later when your employer coverage ends . Once you have Medicare there are 2 main ways to get your Medicare coverage , there is Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage Plans . To keep thing simple if you chose Original Medicare you must buy a Part D Prescription Drug Coverage and you may also want to purchase Medicare Supplement Insurance -LRB- Medigap -RRB- policy . One thing to remember is that all Medigap policys with the same letter are identical in coverage the only difference is the price they charge you so shop around with a broker that represents multiple companies . If you chose Medicare Advantage its very similar to employer insurance where you have to see doctors that accept the insurance and there are small co-pays . Most Advantage plans include Medicare prescription drug coverage -LRB- Part D -RRB- and have low and sometimes no monthly premiums . 