Medicare Enrollment Process
You’ve reviewed the parts of Medicare and available plans - now you are ready to enroll. Let us help walk you through the steps of enrolling for Medicare.
There are three times you can enroll for Medicare - your Initial Enrollment Period, a Special Enrollment Period, and the General Enrollment Period. To learn more about these enrollment timeframes, visit the Who Qualifies for Medicare page.
It is important to enroll in your Medicare plans at the right time! If you wait too long, you may have to pay a lifelong penalty on your premiums. View and compare plans.
Steps to Enroll in Medicare
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Enroll in Medicare Parts A & B
For Medicare Parts A (hospital insurance) and Part B (medical insurance), call Social Security toll free at (800) 772 1213 (TTY: (800) 325 0778). You can also set up an appointment at your local Social Security office. You’ll need to provide proof of age, such as a birth certificate.
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Protect Yourself Against Out-of-Pocket Costs
Generally, Medicare pays 80 percent of the Medicare-allowed amount—leaving you to pay the remaining 20 percent. You can enroll in a Medicare Supplement Plan (also called Medigap Plan) to help cover the costs not paid by Medicare, like co-insurance, co-payments and deductibles. This is done through private insurance companies after enrolling in Medicare Part A and Part Medicare.
You can enroll in a Medicare Supplement Plan through our online enrollment process, by mailing the completed form to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont P.O. Box 186, Montpelier, VT 05601-0186, or contacting our licensed consultants at (800) 255-4550 (option #2).
Vermont Blue65 Online Form Vermont Blue65 PDF Form
Vermont Medigap Blue Online Form Vermont Medigap Blue PDF Form -
Complete Your Coverage with Prescription Drug Coverage
The final component of the equation is Medicare prescription drug coverage (Part D). Medicare Part D plans are available to anyone who is entitled to Medicare Part A and/or enrolled in Part B. To get Medicare drug coverage, you must join a Medicare drug plan through a Prescription Drug Plan (PDP).
You can enroll online or by calling the Blue MedicareRx (PDP) team at (888) 496 4178, TTY: 711 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week).
Learn more about available Medicare plans
*By clicking on the Vermont Blue Advantage or Blue Medicare Rx PDP links, you will leave the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont website.
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Have Questions?
Our consultants are available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to offer you personalized attention in understanding your options, get the coverage you need and make sense of Medicare.
Contact us to learn more
- (800) 255-4550
- consumersupport@bcbsvt.com
Looking for personalized guidance and help with our Medicare products? Contact our Senior Products Sales Executive at (802) 371-3587 to learn more and schedule time with our team.
Hours
Monday-Friday
8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m