Medicare 2026

Irvington at 65: the seven-month Medicare sign-up window, mapped step by step

If you live in Irvington and your 65th birthday is on the horizon, Medicare has already put a clock on your calendar. It's called the Initial Enrollment Period, or IEP, and it runs for seven months: the three months before the month you turn 65, your birthday month itself, and the three months after.

Your seven-month window starts before your birthday

That window is your first — and often best — chance to sign up for Medicare without a late penalty. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), when you enroll in those first three months, your coverage generally starts on the first day of your birthday month. Wait until later in the window and your start date gets pushed back.

Step 1: Decide about Part A and Part B

Original Medicare has two parts. Part A covers hospital stays, and most people pay no premium because they or a spouse paid Medicare taxes while working. Part B covers doctor visits and outpatient care, and it has a monthly premium set by the federal government.

If you're already getting Social Security when you turn 65, you'll usually be enrolled in Part A and Part B automatically. If you're not, you need to sign up yourself through the Social Security Administration — online at ssa.gov, by phone, or at a local office.

One common Irvington question: what if you're still working at 65 and have job-based health insurance? In many cases you can delay Part B without a penalty, but the rules depend on the size of your employer. Before you decide, call your benefits office and Social Security so you don't lose credit for the delay.

Step 2: Think about how you want your coverage delivered

Once you have Part A and Part B, you have a choice about how the rest of your Medicare works:

• Original Medicare, often paired with a stand-alone Part D drug plan and, if you want, a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policy that helps with out-of-pocket costs.
• Medicare Advantage (Part C), a private plan that bundles Part A, Part B and usually Part D into one plan, sometimes with extra benefits.

Irvington is in Essex County, and Medicare plan availability — both Medicare Advantage and stand-alone Part D — is set at the county level. You can see every plan offered in Essex County on medicare.gov's Plan Finder by entering your ZIP code.

Neither path is "better" for everyone. What matters is your doctors, your prescriptions, your budget, and how you like to get care.

Step 3: Don't skip drug coverage

Even if you don't take prescriptions today, signing up for a Part D plan (or a Medicare Advantage plan that includes drug coverage) during your IEP protects you from a lifelong late-enrollment penalty.

There are important Part D figures to know for 2027:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once your drug spending hits that, you pay nothing more for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027.
• The old "donut hole" coverage gap has been eliminated as of 2025 — Part D now has three phases instead of four.
• A newer option, the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, lets you spread your drug costs across the year in monthly installments instead of paying big amounts at the pharmacy counter.

If your income is above $109,000 as a single filer (2026), you may also pay an income-related surcharge called IRMAA on top of your Part B and Part D premiums.

Step 4: Mark the other enrollment dates too

Once you're in Medicare, two other windows matter each year:

• Annual Enrollment Period: October 15 – December 7. This is when anyone with Medicare can join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period: January 1 – March 31. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can switch to a different one or go back to Original Medicare.

Your IEP is a one-time chance tied to your birthday. These annual windows come around every year after that.

Where Irvington residents can get unbiased help

You don't have to figure this out alone, and you don't have to talk to a salesperson to get answers. Free, unbiased help is available from:

• medicare.gov — the official site, with the Plan Finder tool for Essex County.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), open 24/7.
• New Jersey SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program), which offers free one-on-one Medicare counseling to New Jersey residents, including in Essex County.
• Social Security Administration at ssa.gov or 1-800-772-1213 for enrollment questions.