Medicare 2026

Ann Arbor Medicare: the seven-month sign-up window

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — If a 65th birthday is on the horizon at your house, the calendar just got more interesting. Medicare gives most people a one-time, seven-month window to sign up when they first become eligible — and missing it can mean late penalties that stick around for life.

Aging into Medicare: the enrollment window you don't want to miss

Here's a plain-English guide to what that window is, when it opens, and the first steps to take in Washtenaw County.

What the Initial Enrollment Period actually is

Your Initial Enrollment Period, or IEP, is a seven-month stretch built around your 65th birthday. It includes:

• The three months before the month you turn 65
• The month of your 65th birthday
• The three months after

So if your birthday is in June, your window opens March 1 and closes September 30. Sign up in the first three months and your coverage can start the month you turn 65. Wait until your birthday month or later, and coverage starts the month after you enroll, per CMS rules on Medicare.gov.

Are you already being enrolled — or do you need to act?

This trips up a lot of people.

• If you're already receiving Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefits, you'll usually be enrolled in Part A and Part B automatically. Your red, white, and blue Medicare card should arrive in the mail about three months before your 65th birthday.
• If you're not yet drawing Social Security — which is more common now that full retirement age has climbed — you have to sign up yourself. You can do that at ssa.gov, by calling Social Security, or by visiting the Ann Arbor Social Security office on Ellsworth Road.

If you're still working at 65 with solid employer coverage, the rules are different, and it's worth a phone call before your window closes.

The parts of Medicare, in one breath

• Part A covers hospital stays. Most people pay no premium because they paid in through payroll taxes.
• Part B covers doctor visits and outpatient care. It has a monthly premium set by CMS each year.
• Part D covers prescription drugs. In 2026, out-of-pocket drug costs are capped at $2,100, the Part D deductible can't exceed $615, and the old "donut hole" is gone — replaced with three simpler phases.
• Medicare Advantage (Part C) bundles A, B, and usually D through a private plan.
• Medigap (Medicare Supplement) helps pay what Original Medicare doesn't.

You'll generally choose one path — Original Medicare (often with a Medigap and a stand-alone Part D plan) or a Medicare Advantage plan.

What's available around Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor is in Washtenaw County, where Medicare plan availability is set at the county level. That means people in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Saline, Chelsea, and Dexter all draw from the same set of Medicare Advantage and Part D options. When you compare plans on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder, entering your ZIP code will show every carrier and plan offered in the county.

Star Ratings, which CMS updates each fall, are one tool to see how plans have performed on things like customer service and care quality — useful context, not a scorecard that fits every person's situation.

First steps to take before your birthday

1. Mark your seven-month window on the calendar. Aim to enroll in the first three months so coverage starts on time. 2. Decide about Part B if you're still working. Employer coverage rules matter here. 3. List your prescriptions, doctors, and pharmacies. You'll need this to compare Part D and Advantage options. 4. Think about how you'd like to pay. If drug costs concern you, ask about the new Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, which lets you spread out-of-pocket drug costs across the year in monthly bills. 5. Check your income. In 2026, higher-income enrollees pay an IRMAA surcharge on Part B and Part D premiums, starting above $109,000 for a single filer. 6. Get free, unbiased help. Michigan's SHIP program is called MMAP (Michigan Medicare/Medicaid Assistance Program), and counselors can help Washtenaw County residents one-on-one, at no cost.