How to sign up for Medicare

So we dropped off those access forms at Medicare for a few clients yesterday—and they’re telling us we won't even be able to use the online service for another month and a half... 🙂

Is there any way to submit those MPP1 forms through the e-retirement portal if the retirement office starts breathing down my neck about an employee getting ready to retire?
I’m guessing the answer is a flat no, but I figured I’d ask before I lose my mind.

ruggedmaker2 said:Is there any way to submit those MPP1 forms through the e-retirement portal if the retirement office starts breathing down my neck about an employee getting ready to retire?
I’m guessing the answer is a flat no, but I figured I’d ask before I lose my mind.

Your hunch is spot on, ruggedmaker2. I'm looking at my own dashboard on the Social Security portal right now, and that specific form isn't listed anywhere.

Thanks!

The folks over at NOAA are driving me absolutely insane. It’s a total joke—employers are drowning in paperwork, filing endless forms and reports left and right, yet NOAA still hasn't even properly processed the data from 2013.
What on earth are they actually doing over there all day?
People can talk all they want about change, but honestly, once the Democratic Party gets their hands on things, it’ll be more of the same. At this rate, I probably won't see my retirement benefits officially cleared in the system until the end of the decade.
That’s likely why they cooked up that whole MPP1 nonsense in the first place. 🙂

ruggedmaker2 said:Thanks!

The folks over at NOAA are driving me absolutely insane. It’s a total joke—employers are drowning in paperwork, filing endless forms and reports left and right, yet NOAA still hasn't even properly processed the data from 2013.
What on earth are they actually doing over there all day?
People can talk all they want about change, but honestly, once the Democratic Party gets their hands on things, it’ll be more of the same. At this rate, I probably won't see my retirement benefits officially cleared in the system until the end of the decade.
That’s likely why they cooked up that whole MPP1 nonsense in the first place. 🙂

The other day, some young guy from the Social Security office gave me a serious spike in blood pressure. I had to send over a specific form for one of my employees—I can't even remember the name because the code changes every single year—but thankfully, they still know how to ask for the '68 version.

I usually just pull one file from my software, list it, and hit send, but this guy insisted on having the exact same form, except he wanted a "4" added to the title instead of the usual code. Apparently, his system wouldn't accept it otherwise. So, I just took the identical form, manually wrote a "4" on it, and sent it right back to him.

Has anyone here ever tried registering family members for a new employee through Medicare?
I actually called their toll-free number to clarify whether I need to upload all those specific attachments listed online for my child—but the representative told me that since July 2013, employers aren't responsible for covering dependents anymore. Instead, once the employee is officially registered, they have to visit a local Medicare office personally with copies of certain documents to enroll their children.
Apparently, our only job is to report the worker's health insurance coverage. However, when I spoke to my local branch, they had absolutely no idea what that meant—they told me I need to file applications for both the employee and the child.

Robert Sanchez6 said:Has anyone here ever tried registering family members for a new employee through Medicare?
I actually called their toll-free number to clarify whether I need to upload all those specific attachments listed online for my child—but the representative told me that since July 2013, employers aren't responsible for covering dependents anymore. Instead, once the employee is officially registered, they have to visit a local Medicare office personally with copies of certain documents to enroll their children.
Apparently, our only job is to report the worker's health insurance coverage. However, when I spoke to my local branch, they had absolutely no idea what that meant—they told me I need to file applications for both the employee and the child.

Since July 2013, children under 18 have the option to be covered independently through the Department of the Treasury (in which case the parent would visit a Medicare office with their documentation and the T-2 form), but if the parent prefers, they can still choose to cover them through the employer rather than the government.

Personally, I think enrolling them independently is the smoother route... it provides peace of mind for those eighteen years.

amberdrifter14, thank you for the response—I completely agree regarding the option to cover family members through independent Medicare enrollment; it would certainly make things much more manageable for us.
I must admit, I was somewhat taken aback by the fact that the staff at the local field office seemed entirely uninformed on the matter.
Furthermore, if I decide to proceed with insuring my child under an employee's plan via the online portal, am I truly required to ask them to provide a birth certificate and proof of residence, as specified in the list of required documents? Has anyone here actually had an application approved without those being submitted?

Robert Sanchez6 said:amberdrifter14, thank you for the response—I completely agree regarding the option to cover family members through independent Medicare enrollment; it would certainly make things much more manageable for us.
I must admit, I was somewhat taken aback by the fact that the staff at the local field office seemed entirely uninformed on the matter.
Furthermore, if I decide to proceed with insuring my child under an employee's plan via the online portal, am I truly required to ask them to provide a birth certificate and proof of residence, as specified in the list of required documents? Has anyone here actually had an application approved without those being submitted?

If you're adding a child under an employee's plan, you don't need to attach anything extra as long as you fill out the child's info on Form 3. The only exception is if it’s a newborn; in that case, they'll definitely want all the supporting documentation. If the child was already covered previously, you just fill out the form and you're good to go. In my experience, everything has gone through smoothly without any hiccups.

I’ve already told all my clients—plain and simple—that family members need to handle their own insurance coverage 😉

Robert Sanchez6 said:amberdrifter14, thank you for the response—I completely agree regarding the option to cover family members through independent Medicare enrollment; it would certainly make things much more manageable for us.
I must admit, I was somewhat taken aback by the fact that the staff at the local field office seemed entirely uninformed on the matter.
Furthermore, if I decide to proceed with insuring my child under an employee's plan via the online portal, am I truly required to ask them to provide a birth certificate and proof of residence, as specified in the list of required documents? Has anyone here actually had an application approved without those being submitted?

Yeah, you need all of it. They reject applications that are missing those docs. (Though, oddly enough, if you show up in person at the service window, they might let it slide without the extra paperwork.)
It’s the same deal when someone changes their last name—it's a mountain of paperwork.

Kyle Rogers8 said:Yeah, you need all of it. They reject applications that are missing those docs. (Though, oddly enough, if you show up in person at the service window, they might let it slide without the extra paperwork.)
It’s the same deal when someone changes their last name—it's a mountain of paperwork.

In our experience, we processed about ten of those Type 3 enrollment forms for members, and they went through perfectly smooth without us having to provide a single extra piece of supporting documentation.

Brenda Chase3 said:In our experience, we processed about ten of those Type 3 enrollment forms for members, and they went through perfectly smooth without us having to provide a single extra piece of supporting documentation.

Was that done through the online portal or in person at the local office?

Brenda Chase3 said:In our experience, we processed about ten of those Type 3 enrollment forms for members, and they went through perfectly smooth without us having to provide a single extra piece of supporting documentation.

Earlier this morning, I submitted several Form 2 applications via the online portal. However, I found myself unable to file the Form 3 simultaneously—why? Because the system requires the primary policyholder's ID number, which I can't obtain until my Form 2 submissions have been fully processed by Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Only one application was cleared, and that was right at the end of the business day.
I went ahead and filled out the Form 3, entering the policyholder's ID, but strangely, the subsequent fields—like their name and surname—didn't auto-populate as they should have. I attempted to sign and submit it anyway, only to receive an error message stating that no individual exists under that ID number. It seems highly likely that the data hasn't quite "settled" in the system yet.
In the meantime, I assume the other applications will be finalized shortly, so I plan to try the Form 3 submissions again first thing tomorrow morning.
If they aren't accepted without additional attachments, I'll simply head down to the local service office in person. It is worth noting, however, that these involve children who were already covered under their parents' plans, so I am hopeful the process remains straightforward.

ruggedcyclist74 said:Was that done through the online portal or in person at the local office?

The online portal is definitely the way to go.

I have successfully processed my Form 3 filings via the online portal, without any additional documentation—given that the children were already covered under their parents' existing plans.
My thanks to konto12345

I need some clarity here. Is this whole e-health thing mandatory starting April 1st, just like the pension stuff? Or does that rule only apply to people who have
more than three dependents? My pension setup is already live, but my health insurance hasn't kicked in yet. I’m hearing it won't even be functional for another month. Now that I’m actually looking closer at the fine print, the pension part is clearly marked as required, but for health insurance, it doesn't say a damn thing.

Arthur Bishop6 said:I need some clarity here. Is this whole e-health thing mandatory starting April 1st, just like the pension stuff? Or does that rule only apply to people who have
more than three dependents? My pension setup is already live, but my health insurance hasn't kicked in yet. I’m hearing it won't even be functional for another month. Now that I’m actually looking closer at the fine print, the pension part is clearly marked as required, but for health insurance, it doesn't say a damn thing.

No, it is not mandatory. You can still register for health insurance in person at the local offices; the deadline remains unchanged—eight days for both paper filings and digital submissions.

Robert Sanchez6 said:No, it is not mandatory. You can still register for health insurance in person at the local offices; the deadline remains unchanged—eight days for both paper filings and digital submissions.

thanks. I actually called Medicare and they told me the exact same thing. I have no clue why I thought you had to do both.🙂 Honestly, looking at how this works, I'm seriously questioning if I even want to switch over to the digital healthcare system.

Arthur Bishop6 said:thanks. I actually called Medicare and they told me the exact same thing. I have no clue why I thought you had to do both.🙂 Honestly, looking at how this works, I'm seriously questioning if I even want to switch over to the digital healthcare system.

It really is convenient to handle everything from one's office—especially since managing retirement benefits is a necessity. To be perfectly honest, I am not particularly fond of the MyMedicare app, though I suppose I have grown accustomed to its quirks.