Medicare Part D

Turning 65 in Covington? Medicare Steps 2027

COVINGTON, Ky. — Turning 65 is a big milestone, and Medicare is one of the first grown-up decisions that comes with it. The good news: if you know the deadlines and the basic parts, you can avoid the mistakes that trip people up most often.

Covington residents: here's how to start Medicare the right way

Covington sits in Kenton County, and while Medicare itself is a federal program, some of your choices — like which Medicare Advantage or Part D plans are offered — are set at the county level. That means your neighbor in Cincinnati may see different options than you do here in Northern Kentucky.

Here's a plain, step-by-step guide to your first Medicare decisions.

Step 1: Know your Initial Enrollment Period (IEP)

Your Initial Enrollment Period is a 7-month window built around the month you turn 65:

• The 3 months before your birthday month
• Your birthday month
• The 3 months after

If you sign up in the three months before your birthday month, your coverage usually starts the first day of your birthday month. If you wait until your birthday month or later, coverage can be delayed.

Missing this window can mean a late enrollment penalty on Part B that sticks with you for life — one of the most common (and most avoidable) Medicare mistakes.

Step 2: Understand the parts of Medicare

Medicare has four main parts. You don't need to memorize the details, but you do need to know what each one does:

• Part A — Hospital insurance. Most people pay no premium because they (or a spouse) paid Medicare taxes while working.
• Part B — Medical insurance (doctor visits, outpatient care, preventive services). It has a monthly premium set by the federal government.
• Part C (Medicare Advantage) — A private plan that bundles Part A, Part B, and usually Part D into one plan. Offered by insurance companies approved by Medicare.
• Part D — Prescription drug coverage, offered through private plans.

You'll choose between two main paths: Original Medicare (Parts A and B), often paired with a standalone Part D drug plan and sometimes a Medigap supplement — or a Medicare Advantage plan that combines everything.

Step 3: Don't skip Part D — even if you don't take medications

A lot of people turning 65 say, "I don't take any prescriptions, so I'll skip Part D." That's another common — and costly — mistake. If you go without creditable drug coverage for too long, Medicare adds a late enrollment penalty to your Part D premium for as long as you have the coverage.

A few big-picture Part D facts worth knowing as you look at 2027 coverage:

• The out-of-pocket cap for covered drugs is $2,100 in 2026. Once you hit that, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• The maximum deductible a Part D plan can charge is $615 in 2026 ($700 in 2027).
• The old "donut hole" coverage gap was eliminated in 2025 — Part D now has three phases instead of four.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your drug costs across the calendar year in monthly installments instead of paying big amounts at the pharmacy counter. It's optional and free to opt into.

Step 4: Check whether IRMAA applies to you

If your income is higher than average, you may pay more for Part B and Part D. This surcharge is called IRMAA (Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount). For 2026, IRMAA kicks in above $109,000 in income for a single filer (higher for married filing jointly). Medicare looks back at your tax return from two years ago to decide.

If your income has dropped since then — because you retired, for example — you can ask Social Security to reconsider.

Step 5: Look at what's available in Kenton County

Covington is in Kenton County, where a number of Medicare Advantage and standalone Part D plans are offered by private insurance companies. Plan counts and carriers change every year, so it's worth checking availability directly on medicare.gov using your ZIP code before you pick anything.

When you compare, focus on:

• Whether your doctors and hospitals (including St. Elizabeth and other Northern Kentucky providers) are in-network
• Whether your prescriptions are on the plan's formulary
• What the total yearly costs look like — not just the premium

Step 6: Mark the other enrollment dates on your calendar

Even after you're enrolled, two Medicare dates matter every year:

• Annual Enrollment Period: October 15 – December 7. This is when anyone with Medicare can change Part D or Medicare Advantage plans for the following year.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: January 1 – March 31. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you get one chance to switch to another MA plan or return to Original Medicare.