Medicare Supplement

Working at 65 in Savannah? How Medicare Fits With Job Coverage

SAVANNAH, Ga. — Turning 65 while still clocking in at a Broughton Street office, a Hutchinson Island hotel, or a Port of Savannah terminal? You are not alone. More Georgians are working past 65, and that raises a fair question: do you need Medicare if you already have health insurance through work?

The answer depends on the size of your employer, the type of coverage you have, and a few deadlines you do not want to miss. Here is a plain-English guide for Savannah workers and their families.

The size of your employer changes everything

Medicare has clear rules about who pays first when you have both Medicare and job-based coverage. These are called "coordination of benefits" rules.

• If your employer has 20 or more employees: Your group health plan usually pays first, and Medicare pays second. You can often delay Part B without penalty while you keep working.
• If your employer has fewer than 20 employees: Medicare usually pays first, and your group plan pays second. In most cases, you need to enroll in Part A and Part B at 65 or your employer coverage may not cover much.

If you work for a small Savannah business, a family practice, or a local shop, ask your HR contact or benefits administrator — in writing — how your plan works with Medicare. Getting that answer wrong can leave you with big gaps.

Part A is usually an easy call

Most people qualify for premium-free Part A (hospital insurance) because they or a spouse paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years. If that is you, signing up for Part A at 65 is often a straightforward choice, even if you keep your employer plan.

One important exception: if you contribute to a Health Savings Account (HSA), you cannot keep adding money to it once you enroll in any part of Medicare, including Part A. Many workers pause HSA contributions before their Medicare start date to avoid tax issues. A tax advisor can help you time this correctly.

Part B: delay it, or take it now?

Part B (doctor and outpatient care) has a monthly premium, so many workers with strong employer coverage delay it. If your employer has 20+ employees and the coverage is considered "creditable," you generally get a Special Enrollment Period to sign up for Part B later — up to 8 months after your job or the group coverage ends, whichever comes first.

Miss that window and you could face a lifetime late enrollment penalty added to your Part B premium. That is the mistake we most want Savannah readers to avoid.

Don't forget Part D — drug coverage has its own rules

Prescription drug coverage (Part D) also has a late enrollment penalty if you go without "creditable" drug coverage for 63 days or more after you are first eligible. Your employer or union should send you a Creditable Coverage Notice each year telling you whether your drug benefits count as creditable. Keep those letters.

A few 2026 program facts worth knowing as you plan ahead:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026. Once you hit that, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• The Part D deductible cannot exceed $615 in 2026.
• The old "donut hole" coverage gap was eliminated in 2025. Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your drug costs into monthly installments instead of paying large amounts at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA — an income-based surcharge on Part B and Part D — begins above $109,000 in income for a single filer (2026).

What's available around Savannah

Savannah is in Chatham County, where Medicare plan availability — including Medicare Advantage and stand-alone Part D plans — is set at the county level by CMS. If and when you decide to move from employer coverage to Medicare, your plan choices are based on your county of residence, not your ZIP code alone. You can compare what is offered in Chatham County using the Plan Finder at Medicare.gov.

Key dates to circle

• Initial Enrollment Period: the 7-month window around your 65th birthday.
• Special Enrollment Period: up to 8 months after employer coverage ends, for Part B.
• Annual Enrollment Period: October 15 – December 7 each year, to join, switch, or drop Medicare Advantage and Part D plans.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: January 1 – March 31, for people already in a Medicare Advantage plan who want to make one change.