What Documents Do I Need to Apply for Medicare?
Ready to Apply for Medicare? Here’s What You Need.
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Medicare Application Document Overview
When you apply for Medicare, you will need to provide some documentation that will show that you are eligible for the program. In some cases, Medicare and Social Security will already have some of this information, but you will still be asked to provide any information that they do not already have.
For example, you might be asked to provide documents that can be used to prove your:
- Age
- Citizenship statue
- Income history
You will need to provide original copies of any supporting documents that are you asked for if you have them. If you don’t have copies, don’t panic. You can apply for new copies of any documents that you don’t have access to anymore, and send in those. There are ways to get new copies of all the documents that you might need. If you’re having difficulty with getting the right documents or have questions about them, please call us, for free, at (888) 352-6672.
Details on Which Documents Are Needed
You will need to prove that you are eligible for Medicare when you first enroll in the program. In some cases, Medicare may already have some of the information that they need, but you will need to fill in any gaps.
If you already receive Social Security retirement benefits or Social Security Disability Insurance, then you will not need to provide any other documentation, as Social Security and Medicare will already have all the documentation and information that they need to be able to enroll you in the scheme.
However, if you don’t receive any kind of benefits through Social Security, then you will need to provide some documentation in order to enroll in Medicare.
You can start the enrollment process online, over the phone, or in-person at a Social Security office. However you choose to apply, you will need to provide some information to get the princess started.
For most people, this information will include:
- Your Social Security number
- Your date and place of birth
- Your citizenship status
- The name and Social Security number of your spouse, and any former spouses
- The date and place of any marriages or divorces
- The names and ages of any children you have who are under the age of 18, or children up to the age of 19 who are still in High School
- The names and ages of any children under the age of 22 who are disabled
- Whether you have ever applied for any Social Security benefits in the past, or whether anyone has ever applied on your behalf
- The name and address of any employers that you have worked for in the past two years
- The amount of money that you have earned in the past two years. If you apply between September and December, you will also need to estimate your next year of earnings
- The date of any military service you completed before 1968
- Information about any work that you or your spouse has done for the railroad industry
- Information about any Social Security work credits that you may have earned abroad
- Information about any federal pension that you currently receive or will receive in the future
Most of this information can be given to Medicare just by filling out the application form. However, some of these details will need some extra documentation to prove them. You may be asked for documents including:
- Your original birth certificate, or a copy of it that has been certified by the issuing agency
- If you don’t have a record of your birth, you may need other documents to prove your age, such as school records, immunization records, state census records, insurance records, or medical records
- If you were born outside of the US, proof of your US citizenship, such as a US passport, a Naturalization Certificate, a Certificate of Citizenship, or a IS consular report of birth
- If you are not a US citizen, proof of your legal residency, such as your Permanent Resident Cards and your admission-departure record.
- If you had military service before 1968, a record of your service, such as your discharge papers
- Your W-2 or self-employment tax information from the last year
- A record of your earnings, like your Social Security statement
You might not be asked to provide all these documents, but if you can, try to get as many of them ready before you apply as you can so the process isn’t delayed while you try to get copies of records or search for your birth certificate. Social Security will tell you exactly what you need to send.
Any documents that you do send should be the originals. Social Security will accept copies of W-2s, tax documents, and medical records, but everything else must be an original document for it to be accepted. You will get them sent back.
In addition, if you are planning to enroll in Part D, make sure you have all of your prescription drug names and prices in order to determine if the Part D penalty is worth it for your current situation.
Compare Today!
A licensed insurance agent from our team will contact you to discuss your Medicare options.
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