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Dear Colleague,

Starting January 1, 2023, the start dates for Medicare Part B coverage will change. Coverage will start the first day of the month after a person signs up, if they sign up during the last three months of their Initial Enrollment Period (IEP), or during the General Enrollment Period (GEP).

Before this change, if your clients signed up during the last three months of their IEP, their Medicare Part B coverage started two to three months after they enrolled. If your client doesn't sign up for Medicare Part B during their IEP, they have another chance every year during GEP which runs from January 1 through March 31.

What is not changing:

If your client is eligible at age 65 for Medicare, their IEP will still:

• begin three months before their 65th birthday.
• include the month of their 65th birthday.
• end three months after their 65th birthday.

If your client is automatically enrolled in Medicare Part B, or if they sign up during the first three months of their IEP, their coverage will start the month they're first eligible. If your client signs up the month that they turn 65, their coverage will start the first day of the following month. This will not change with the new rule.

You and your clients can learn more about these updates on our Medicare webpage at www.ssa.gov/medicare and our Medicare publication at www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10043.pdf.

Please share this important information with your clients. Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey Buckner
Associate Commissioner
Office of Strategic and Digital Communications
oea.net.post@ssa.gov
@SSAOutreach