Medicare enrollment help

How To Apply Medicare Florida

Applying for Medicare is less confusing than it looks once someone walks you through it. I help people across Palm Beach and Broward counties apply on time and pick a plan that actually fits. Here is the whole process, step by step, with no sales pitch.

Who qualifies and when to apply

Medicare is a federal program, so the rules in Boca Raton are the same as the rules in Coral Springs. You generally qualify at 65 if you are a United States citizen or a legal permanent resident who has worked and paid Medicare taxes for at least ten years. Your Initial Enrollment Period runs for seven months around your 65th birthday: three months before, the month of your birthday, and three months after.

Here is the part people miss. If you are already collecting Social Security when you turn 65, the government enrolls you in Part A and Part B automatically and sends your card in the mail. If you are still working, or you take Social Security later, you have to apply yourself, and that is where timing starts to matter. Apply too late and you can face a permanent late enrollment penalty on Part B, so it is worth getting the dates right the first time.

Three ways to apply, and what each one involves

You can apply for Medicare in Florida three ways. The first is online at www.ssa.gov, which is the Social Security Administration's website, and it takes most people under thirty minutes. The second is by phone, through Social Security directly. The third is in person at a Social Security office, and there are offices across Palm Beach County and Broward County, including ones that serve West Palm Beach, Delray Beach and the Fort Lauderdale area.

Before you apply, gather a few things: your Social Security card, proof of citizenship or lawful presence, and recent wage or tax information if you worked in the last couple of years. If you are applying because employer coverage is ending, also have the letter from your employer's plan ready, because that paperwork decides whether you qualify for a special enrollment period instead of waiting for open enrollment.

After you apply: the choice that actually matters

Applying gets you Original Medicare, which is Part A for hospital stays and Part B for doctor visits. The application is the easy half. The decision that shapes your costs for years is what you put around it: a Medicare Advantage plan, or Original Medicare paired with a Medicare Supplement and a separate drug plan. These two paths price out very differently depending on your doctors, your prescriptions and how much care you expect to use.

Most people choose during their Initial Enrollment Period, or during Medicare Advantage open enrollment, which runs October 15 through December 7 every year for coverage starting January 1. If you want to see how the Florida market actually prices out, I wrote a page that compares Medicare Advantage plans and their costs across Florida. And if you lean toward the supplement route, my page on Medicare Plan G costs in 2026 covers the most popular supplement alongside the Advantage comparison.

Applying if you live in North Carolina

Families ask me this often, because I am licensed in Florida, New Jersey and North Carolina and people move between all three. The application process is identical: Medicare is federal, so you apply through Social Security by phone, online, or in person, and your address only changes which plans and networks are available to you afterward. North Carolina has its own counseling program that can help you review plan choices once you are enrolled, and I can help with the plan comparison on top of that. If you are moving from Florida to North Carolina midyear, tell me the timing, because moves create their own special enrollment windows that we should not waste.

How LYS Insurance Agency helps

I am an independent agent, which means I am not tied to one insurance company and I can show you plans from several carriers side by side. I serve Palm Beach County, including Boca Raton, West Palm Beach and Delray Beach, and Broward County, including Coral Springs, Fort Lauderdale and Sunrise. I am also licensed in New Jersey and North Carolina, so if your parents are up north while you are down here, one call covers everyone.

My help costs you nothing. I will check your doctors and prescriptions against the plans before you apply, remind you which window applies to your situation, and sit with you while you fill out the applications so nothing gets skipped. You pay the same premium whether you enroll through me or on your own, and I will tell you when the honest answer is that you do not need to change a thing.

Speak with Lourdes Hernandez

Call me at (551) 223-3854 or book a time at https://zuops.com/c/medicare-plan-review. Se habla español. If you are turning 65 within the next six months, call two or three months before your birthday month and we will walk through the whole thing without rushing.