How to Enroll in Medicare: Step by Step for Utah

Let's set the stage

Enrolling in Medicare is really two separate jobs. Job one is getting Part A and Part B from the government, through Social Security. Job two is choosing private coverage that works with them: a Medigap plan plus a Part D drug plan, or a Medicare Advantage plan. People get stuck when they mix the two up. Social Security cannot sell you a Medigap plan, and an insurance agent cannot sign you up for Part B. Here is the order that works.

Step 1: Check whether you will be enrolled automatically

If you already receive Social Security or Railroad Retirement Board benefits before 65, you are generally enrolled in Part A and Part B automatically, and your red, white and blue Medicare card arrives in the mail ahead of your birthday month. People under 65 on disability are enrolled automatically after 24 months of disability benefits. If that is you, skip to Step 4, but read Step 3 first if you are still working and want to decide about Part B.

Step 2: If not automatic, sign up with Social Security

Most people who are not yet drawing Social Security need to apply. You have three ways to do it:

Sign up during your Initial Enrollment Period, the 7 months around your 65th birthday month. Medicare.gov says that if you sign up before your birthday month, Part B starts the month you turn 65. Signing up during your birthday month or later pushes the start to the next month. Earlier is easier.

Step 3: Still working? Decide about Part B

If you have health coverage from a current employer, yours or your spouse's, you may not need Part B yet. Many people still take premium-free Part A at 65. If you delay Part B, you will later use a Special Enrollment Period, and Social Security will want proof of your employer coverage. The forms for that are CMS-40B (Application for Enrollment in Part B) and CMS-L564 (Request for Employment Information), which your employer completes. Medicare.gov's "Ready to sign up" page links both.

Here's the thing: the employer size rule matters. If the employer has fewer than 20 employees, Medicare generally pays first, and skipping Part B can leave you with claims nobody pays. Ask your benefits office in writing which pays first.

Step 4: Gather what you need for the plan decision

• Your Medicare card, or your Medicare number and Part A and Part B start dates
• A list of your doctors, specialists and the hospital you prefer
• A list of your prescriptions with dosage and how often you take them
• Your preferred pharmacy
• Any other coverage you have now: retiree, VA, TRICARE or Medicaid

Step 5: Choose how to fill the gaps

Original Medicare covers a lot, but it has no yearly out-of-pocket limit and no outpatient drug coverage. You fill those gaps one of two ways.

Source for maximums: CMS CY2027 Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plan Landscape, Utah non special needs plans. Not all plans offer all these benefits. Availability of benefits and plans varies by carrier and location. Deductibles, copays and coinsurance may apply.

Step 6: Apply for the plan

Once you know which way you are going, the plan application can be done with a licensed agent, directly with the carrier, or at Medicare.gov. Timing rules:

1. Medicare Advantage and Part D: join during your Initial Enrollment Period so coverage starts with Part B, or during Open Enrollment, October 15 to December 7.
2. Medigap: apply during your 6-month Medigap open enrollment, which starts the first month you have Part B and are 65 or older. That is when the company cannot use your health to turn you down.
3. Part D with Medigap: pick up a stand-alone drug plan at the same time so you do not go 63 days without creditable drug coverage.

Step 7: Confirm everything arrived

Within a few weeks you should have your Medicare card, a plan ID card, and a welcome packet. Check the start dates on each. If your drug plan or Medigap start date does not line up with Part B, call right away. Fixing it in the first month is far easier than fixing it after a claim is denied.

A worked timeline example

Here is an illustrative example, not a real client. Linda lives in Draper and turns 65 on March 20, 2027. She is retired and not yet taking Social Security, so she will not be enrolled automatically.

If Linda waited until April, her birthday month or later, Part B would start the month after she signed up, which could leave a short gap.

Forms you may run into

• CMS-40B, Application for Enrollment in Part B. Used when you already have Part A and are adding Part B, for example after leaving a job.
• CMS-L564, Request for Employment Information. Your employer fills it out to show you had group coverage from current work, so you can use the Special Enrollment Period without a penalty.
• Your plan's enrollment application. Medicare Advantage and Part D plans have their own applications. Medigap applications are filed with the insurance company.

Social Security also accepts many of these online. Keep a copy of everything you send and the confirmation number.

What our Utah clients most often forget

1. Telling the Medigap or Medicare Advantage plan which pharmacy they use, so the drug pricing we ran is the pricing they get.
2. Canceling a Marketplace plan after Medicare starts. Premium tax credits stop once you are eligible for premium-free Part A.
3. Stopping HSA contributions before Medicare begins.
4. Writing down the plan's member services number and the date their ID card should arrive.

How we help in Draper

We cannot enroll you in Part A or Part B, but we can walk you through the Social Security steps, then compare plans in your county with your doctors and drugs. For 2027, that means comparing up to 28 non special needs Medicare Advantage plans in Salt Lake, Utah and Davis counties against Medigap and the 8 stand-alone Part D plans sold statewide. Call 801-255-5340 or use our turning 65 checklist to get ready.

Everything Senior Insurance is a licensed insurance agency in Utah. We are not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program.

Updated October 26, 2026 by the Everything Senior Insurance Data Desk.