Medicare Part A&B
How to Enroll in Part A only
Deferring Medicare (If You Have Employer Coverage)
Who This Applies To
You have creditable group health coverage through an employer (yours or your spouse’s) and are deciding whether to delay (defer) Medicare enrollment.
Your Options
If you have employer coverage, you may choose to delay Medicare. You have two options:
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- Delay both Medicare Part A and Part B (do nothing)
- Enroll in Part A only and defer Part B (which has a monthly cost)
What is Creditable Group Coverage?
Our Recommendation
- We recommend enrolling in Medicare Part A only to establish your Medicare number, as it is typically premium-free.
- This can make future steps easier when you’re ready to move forward with full Medicare coverage.
⚠️ Important: If You Have an HSA
If you have a Health Savings Account (HSA), you should not enroll in either Medicare Part A or Part B.
Next Steps
Deferring Medicare is generally straightforward, but the process depends on whether you are already receiving Social Security benefits.
If You Are Not Collecting Social Security
The easiest way to enroll in Medicare Part A is online through Social Security:
👉 Visit: www.ssa.gov/medicare
- Scroll down and select “Apply for Medicare Only”
- Complete the application
If you have creditable coverage and plan to delay Part B, you will have the option within the application to decline Part B coverage.
You will also see the question: “Do you wish to apply for Medicare only, and not for monthly retirement benefits at this time?”
👉 Select “Yes” if you are not applying for Social Security income benefits.
👉 Click here for step-by-step instructions on how to enroll online
If You ARE Already Collecting Social Security
You will likely be automatically enrolled in Medicare Part A & Part B
If you wish to delay Part B:
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- Follow the instructions included with your Medicare card
- Return or decline Part B coverage within 60 days
If completed within this timeframe, it will be as if Part B never started, and you will receive a new Medicare card showing Part A only.
📌 Important: You cannot delay Part A if you are collecting Social Security benefits
If you are more than 60 days past your Part B effective date, please contact HTA for assistance with a Part B disenrollment form.
Enrolling in Part B Later:
The Request For Employment Information form provides the creditable coverage information to avoid a Medicare Part B penalty when you enroll after age 65. This form is not required until you are ready to enroll.
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- There is no need to notify Medicare now if you are not enrolling.
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- No need to keep this form, we can provide the current version when you are closer to enrollment.
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- If you change jobs after age 65, you will be required to get this form completed by each employer that provided Group Health Benefits after age 65.