6 mo.
Review work coverage & HSA rules
Find out whether you expect to retire at 65 or keep working. Check employer coverage, prescription coverage, and HSA implications early.
Find your enrollment window, see what Medicare costs, and understand the steps to take if you are retiring, still working, or choosing coverage for the first time.
Your information stays with Lehigh Partners. No call-center runaround. No pressure. Medicare reviews are provided at no direct cost to you.
Prefer to talk? Call 833-265-9655
New to Medicare? We help you understand your timing, check your doctors and prescriptions, and compare the options available where you live.
7-Month Enrollment Window
For most people, the IEP begins 3 months before the month they turn 65.
Part A & Part B First
Know whether you need to enroll, delay, or coordinate with employer coverage.
21-State Medicare Agency
Licensed agents serving clients across 21 states, with help based on where you live.
Real Agent Help
A licensed agent learns your situation, explains the options, and stays available after enrollment.
Start With Your Situation
The right Medicare enrollment steps depend on your current coverage. Start with what's actually happening in your life, then we'll point you to the information that matters most.
Medicare is new to me and I want to know when to enroll and what comes next.
Start with my Medicare dates →I'm leaving employer coverage and need to coordinate when Medicare and my new coverage should begin.
See my month-by-month roadmap →I need to understand whether I should enroll in Medicare now or whether I may be able to delay.
Understand employer coverage →Not sure when you qualify? Check the Medicare eligibility age chart. Already know your dates? Get help choosing your first plan.
Multi-State Medicare Agency
Lehigh Partners has licensed agents serving clients across 21 states. Select your state below to confirm we serve where you live and choose how you'd like to start.
Headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania · Serving Medicare clients across 21 states
What Matters After the Dates
Your doctors, medications and preferred pharmacy can make a major difference in how a Medicare option works for you. We check those details before you make your decision.
Help Me Check My Medicare OptionsMedicare Handled™
Tell us your doctors, prescriptions, pharmacy, retirement timing and what matters to you. A licensed Lehigh Partners agent does the research, explains the meaningful differences, and remains available after enrollment.
We do the comparing. You make the decision.
New to Medicare? Start Here
Before you worry about dates or plan names, it helps to know what each letter actually covers. Original Medicare is Parts A and B — everything else builds on top of that.
Covers inpatient hospital stays, skilled nursing care, hospice, and some home health. Most people get it premium-free after working and paying Medicare taxes for at least 10 years.
Covers doctor visits, outpatient care, preventive services, and durable medical equipment. Comes with a monthly premium that's set by Medicare each year.
An all-in-one private alternative to Original Medicare. Often bundles prescription drug coverage and extra benefits, usually within a provider network.
Covers prescription drugs. Sold by private insurers, either as a stand-alone plan or bundled into a Medicare Advantage plan.
Private insurance that works alongside Original Medicare to help pay costs it leaves behind, like the Part B 20% coinsurance.
Updated November 2026 · Medicare in 2026 and 2027
Medicare's basic eligibility age is still generally 65. Your seven-month Initial Enrollment Period depends on your birthday, not the calendar year. But premiums and prescription drug limits can change each January. Here are the figures that are confirmed.
Standard Part B premium; higher-income beneficiaries may pay more. The annual Part B deductible is $283.
Do not use a forecast as the official premium or deductible. Check CMS when its final 2027 Part B amounts are published.
Annual out-of-pocket threshold for covered Part D drugs: 2026 $2,100; 2027 $2,400. The maximum Part D deductible is $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027.
Important: These are federal figures, not an individualized plan quote. Medicare Advantage, Medigap and Part D premiums vary by the coverage you select. Part D's out-of-pocket threshold applies to covered Part D drug spending under Medicare's rules, not all medical costs or every drug expense.
Official sources: CMS 2026 Part A/B amounts · Medicare.gov Part D costs for 2026 and 2027 · Official enrollment start dates.
Start Here · Your Free Medicare Starting Plan
Find your enrollment dates and see exactly how you need to sign up. Answer a few quick questions — no personal information required.
Want your complete personalized Medicare timeline?
Build My Medicare Timeline →How Do I Sign Up for Medicare?
Answer a few questions to find your next step.
Month-by-Month Roadmap
The goal is not to do everything at once. Handle the decisions in the right order so your coverage can start when you expect it to.
Find out whether you expect to retire at 65 or keep working. Check employer coverage, prescription coverage, and HSA implications early.
If you are not automatically enrolled and you plan to start Medicare at 65, this is when many people can apply for Part A and Part B through Social Security.
Decide whether to compare Original Medicare with Medigap and Part D or Medicare Advantage. Check doctors, prescriptions, pharmacy, travel, and budget. How to choose your first plan
Finalize the private coverage you want to begin with Medicare, verify start dates, and keep your Medicare number and Part A/Part B dates handy.
If you enrolled before your birthday month, Part B generally starts the month you turn 65. If you enroll during or after that month, coverage generally starts the next month.
Official timing references: Medicare.gov — when coverage starts and Social Security — signing up for Medicare.
Five steps, a lot of dates — totally normal to want a second set of eyes on this.
I Need Help With This →Still Working?
Do not automatically enroll in Part B — and do not automatically delay it. Active employer coverage, employer size, who pays first, drug coverage, and HSA contributions can all change the answer.
Review My Work Coverage
If coverage is based on your or your spouse's current employment, you may qualify for a Part B Special Enrollment Period later. Employer size can affect whether Medicare or the employer plan pays first.
20 or more employees: the group plan is generally primary, so you can usually delay Part B without a late penalty as long as that coverage continues. Fewer than 20 employees: Medicare is generally primary, so most people still need to enroll in Part B at 65.
Ask your benefits administrator how the plan coordinates with Medicare before you decide.
COBRA and retiree coverage are not treated the same as health coverage based on current employment for Part B enrollment timing.
If employment has ended, check your Part B deadline promptly instead of assuming COBRA or retiree coverage protects you from a late-enrollment problem. Retiring after 65: what to do next
Official references: Medicare.gov — working past 65 and Medicare.gov — COBRA coverage.
Medicare enrollment rules are federal, but the plan options available after enrollment vary by location. Explore our Pennsylvania Medicare guide or Texas Medicare guide.
Your Current Insurance Matters
Before enrolling or delaying Medicare, identify exactly what kind of coverage you have. Current job-based coverage, COBRA, Marketplace coverage and veterans' benefits do not follow the same rules.
If you or your spouse are working, confirm employer size, whether the plan pays before or after Medicare, and whether your prescriptions have creditable coverage. With an employer of 20 or more employees, many people can delay Part B, but confirm with the benefits administrator first. See the working-past-65 guidance.
A Marketplace plan is not the same as active job-based group coverage and generally does not give you a Part B Special Enrollment Period. Plan how to transition coverage; don't automatically assume your Marketplace plan ends on your 65th birthday. Once you're eligible for premium-free Part A, you generally can't keep getting premium tax credits for a Marketplace plan, so the full premium may apply. Check Medicare's sign-up rules.
These benefits coordinate differently with Medicare. Talk with your VA, IHS or TRICARE benefits representative before deciding to delay Medicare. VA healthcare alone does not generally protect against the Part B late-enrollment penalty; TRICARE For Life generally requires Parts A and B when eligible.
COBRA and retiree coverage are not current-employment coverage for Part B Special Enrollment Period purposes. And Medicare enrollment can make you ineligible to contribute to an HSA, including a possible retroactive Part A period. Review these rules before choosing dates.
This decision-path section is informed by the National Council on Aging's 2025 Turning 65? Follow Your Path to Medicare! infographic. It is a general guide, not an eligibility determination. Sources: Medicare.gov working past 65, Medicare.gov enrollment guidance.
After Part A & Part B Timing
This is where the plan decision belongs — after you know your enrollment timing and how any employer coverage fits. For a full walk-through, see our guide to choosing your first Medicare plan.
Path 1
You keep Original Medicare for hospital and medical coverage, add a Medigap policy to help with certain out-of-pocket costs, and usually add a separate Part D plan for prescriptions.
Path 2
You receive your Medicare benefits through a private Medicare Advantage plan. Plans can vary by ZIP code and may include prescription drug coverage and additional benefits.
We can compare the choices around your doctors, prescriptions, pharmacy, travel, budget, and coverage preferences — including which choices are hard to undo later.
Avoid Common Problems
Most turning-65 problems are timing or coordination problems — not complicated insurance math.
Part B Special Enrollment rules are tied to health coverage based on current employment. COBRA and retiree coverage require different timing decisions.
If you delay Medicare past 65, premium-free Part A can be retroactive up to 6 months. HSA contributions during a retroactive Medicare period can create tax problems.
A plan can look good on premium or extra benefits and still be a poor fit if your doctors, drugs, pharmacy, or travel needs were never checked.
Personal Medicare Review
The calculator gives you the dates. A licensed Lehigh Partners Senior Benefits agent can then help you apply those dates to your employer coverage, Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement, Part D, doctors, prescriptions, pharmacy, travel, and budget.
Get Help With My SituationWhat We Review
More Turning 65 Resources
Common Questions
Tell us your doctors, prescriptions, pharmacy, retirement timing and what matters to you. Our licensed agents serve clients across 21 states, research the details available where you live, and explain the meaningful differences so you can make the decision with confidence.
Your information stays with Lehigh Partners. No call-center runaround. No pressure. Medicare reviews are provided at no direct cost to you.