Medicare Eligibility in New Jersey

Medicare_Informational

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More than 1.6 million eligible New Jersey residents received Medicare benefits in 2020.¹ That’s about 18% of the state’s total population.² You might wonder what it takes to get Medicare eligibility in New Jersey. It may be easier than you think. 

You may be eligible for Medicare in New Jersey if you’re a U.S. citizen or a permanent legal resident who has lived in the U.S. for more than five years and one or more of the following applies to you:³

• You are 65 or older.
• You have been on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) for two years.
• You have end-stage renal disease (ESRD) or Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Medicare Options for Eligible New Jersey Residents

Once you have Medicare eligibility in New Jersey, you’ll have some choices in the way you’d like to purchase your coverage. However, deciphering Medicare jargon can be confusing, so here is a quick rundown.

Let’s break down the different Medicare parts:

• Hospital insurance (Part A)
• Medical insurance (Part B)
• Medicare Advantage (Part C)
• Prescription drug coverage (Part D)

Medicare Parts A and B can be purchased through the government. For additional coverage, you can choose to add a Part D plan to cover prescription drugs and a Medicare Supplement plan to help cover out-of-pocket costs like coinsurance. Both Part D and Medicare Supplement plans are sold by private insurance companies.

If you prefer, you can purchase a Medicare Part C (also known as Medicare Advantage) plan from a private insurance company. Medicare Advantage plans include Part A and Part B coverage in a single policy and often also covers prescription drugs and other services, such as dental and/or vision. More than 518,000 New Jersey residents were enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan in 2020.¹

If you need assistance with the cost of drug coverage, you can apply for Extra Help. In 2020, approximately 59% of Medicare-eligible New Jerseyans who applied for Extra Help were deemed eligible for this low-income subsidy.⁶ Could that number have included you?

How Do I Get Medicare in NJ?

You can get Medicare in New Jersey by contacting the Social Security Administration, either by phone or online. If aging in, your Medicare eligibility begins three months before the month of your 65^th birthday, includes the month of your birthday, and continues until three months after.

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References:
1.Total Number of Medicare Beneficiaries, KFF. 2020. Retrieved from https://www.kff.org/medicare/state-indicator/total-medicare-beneficiaries/ | 2. QuickFacts New Jersey, U.S. Census Bureau. 2019. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/NJ | 3. Original Medicare (Part A and B) Eligibility and Enrollment, CMS. 2020. Retrieved from https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Eligibility-and-Enrollment/OrigMedicarePartABEligEnrol 

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