Medicare 2026

What starts the Medicare sign-up clock in Amarillo

# Turning 65 in Amarillo? Don't Miss Your 7-Month Medicare…

AMARILLO, Texas — If your 65th birthday is on the horizon, the calendar just got a lot more important. Medicare gives most people a one-time, seven-month window called the Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) to sign up without penalty — and missing it can mean higher costs for the rest of your life.

Here's what to know before your birthday month arrives.

What the Initial Enrollment Period actually is

The Initial Enrollment Period is your first chance to sign up for Medicare. It spans seven months total: the three months before the month you turn 65, the month of your birthday, and the three months after. So if your birthday is in June, your window runs March 1 through September 30.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), enrolling during the first three months of that window means your coverage begins on the first day of your birthday month. Wait until your birthday month or later, and your start date gets pushed back — sometimes by a month or more.

The first steps to take

Start by deciding whether you need to actively enroll. If you're already collecting Social Security benefits, you'll usually be enrolled in Part A (hospital) and Part B (medical) automatically. If you're not yet drawing Social Security, you'll need to sign up yourself through SSA.gov, by calling Social Security, or by visiting a local office.

From there, you'll want to think about:

• Part A: Usually premium-free if you or your spouse paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years.
• Part B: Has a monthly premium and covers doctor visits and outpatient care.
• Part D: Prescription drug coverage, offered through private plans.
• Medicare Advantage (Part C) or Medigap: Two different ways to fill in what Original Medicare doesn't cover. You generally can't have both.

Why timing matters so much

If you don't enroll in Part B when you're first eligible — and you don't have other qualifying coverage, like from a current employer — you may face a late-enrollment penalty that gets added to your premium for as long as you have Medicare. Part D has its own late-enrollment penalty, calculated based on how many months you went without creditable drug coverage.

That's why the seven-month window matters. It's not just paperwork; it's the difference between a clean start and years of extra costs.

What Amarillo residents should know locally

Amarillo sits in Potter County, with parts of the metro area extending into Randall County. Medicare Advantage and stand-alone Part D plan availability is determined at the county level, so the specific menu of plans you can choose from depends on where your home address is.

You can compare the plans available in your county using the Plan Finder at Medicare.gov, or get free, unbiased help from the Texas State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), known locally as the Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP).

A few 2027 numbers worth knowing

Even if you're just starting to explore Medicare, a few program-wide figures for 2027 will shape your choices:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 for 2026 — once your covered drug costs hit that, you pay $0 for the rest of the year.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615.
• The old "donut hole" coverage gap was eliminated in 2025; Part D now has three straightforward phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your drug costs across the calendar year in monthly installments, if that helps your budget.
• IRMAA (income-related) surcharges on Part B and Part D premiums kick in above $109,000 in income for single filers in 2026.

Key dates to circle

After your IEP, two other windows come around every year:

• Annual Enrollment Period: October 15 – December 7. Anyone with Medicare can change Part D or Medicare Advantage coverage.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: January 1 – March 31. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you get one chance to switch or drop back to Original Medicare.