Medicare 2026

Fairfield retirees: how Part B and Part D late fees stick around for life

FAIRFIELD, Calif. — If you are approaching 65 in Solano County, one of the most important things to understand about Medicare is not which plan to pick — it is when to sign up. Miss the window for Part B or Part D without a good reason, and you can end up paying a penalty every month for as long as you have that coverage.

The rules are not complicated once you see them laid out, and there are clear ways to protect yourself.

How the Part B penalty works

Part B covers doctor visits, outpatient care and many preventive services. Most people first become eligible during their Initial Enrollment Period — the seven months around their 65th birthday, starting three months before the birthday month and ending three months after.

If you do not sign up during that window, and you do not qualify for a Special Enrollment Period, your monthly Part B premium can go up by 10% for each full 12-month period you were eligible but did not enroll. That higher premium generally stays with you the entire time you have Part B.

For example, someone who waited three full years after becoming eligible could pay 30% more each month — not once, but every month, for life.

How the Part D penalty works

Part D is Medicare's prescription drug coverage. The penalty here is calculated differently. For every month you go without Part D or another form of "creditable" drug coverage after your Initial Enrollment Period, Medicare adds 1% of the national base beneficiary premium to what you pay.

That amount is rounded to the nearest 10 cents and added to your Part D premium each month. Like the Part B penalty, it typically stays with you for as long as you have Part D coverage.

"Creditable" coverage means drug coverage that is expected to pay, on average, at least as much as standard Medicare drug coverage. Employer plans, union plans and some retiree plans often qualify. Your plan should send you a notice each year telling you whether it counts.

Who is protected — and how

The good news is that most people never owe a penalty because they either enroll on time or have coverage that keeps them protected.

You generally will not owe a Part B or Part D penalty if:

• You enroll during your seven-month Initial Enrollment Period.
• You have health and drug coverage through a current employer (yours or a spouse's) and sign up within eight months of that job-based coverage ending, using a Special Enrollment Period.
• You qualify for Extra Help, the federal program that assists with Part D costs for people with limited income.

COBRA and retiree coverage do not count as active employer coverage for the Part B rule, which trips up a lot of people. If you retire and move to COBRA, the clock for your Special Enrollment Period usually starts when you leave the job, not when COBRA ends.

Enrollment dates worth putting on the calendar

A few dates matter for anyone in Fairfield sorting this out:

• Initial Enrollment Period: the seven months around your 65th birthday.
• General Enrollment Period: January 1 – March 31, for people who missed their initial window and do not qualify for a Special Enrollment Period. Coverage starts the month after you enroll.
• Annual Enrollment Period: October 15 – December 7, for changes to Part D and Medicare Advantage.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: January 1 – March 31, for people already in a Medicare Advantage plan who want to switch once.

Fairfield is in Solano County, where Medicare Advantage and Part D plan availability is set at the county level. Whichever route you choose, the enrollment deadlines are the same nationwide.

What to do if you already have a penalty

If Medicare tells you that you owe a late-enrollment penalty and you believe you had creditable coverage the whole time, you can ask for a review — this is called a "reconsideration." You will need paperwork from your former employer or insurer showing the dates you were covered and that the coverage was creditable.

Keep those annual notices from any employer or retiree drug plan. They are the simplest proof if a question comes up later.