A person continues working past age 65 and remains covered by the employer's group health plan. To enroll in Medicare Part B without a late penalty, the person may use the Special Enrollment Period (SEP), which lasts:
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
The Part B Special Enrollment Period is an 8-month window that begins when the employer's group health coverage ends or when the person stops working — whichever comes first — and permits enrollment without a late penalty for those who delayed Part B while covered by active group coverage based on current employment. This SEP is separate from the 7-month Initial Enrollment Period around the 65th birthday and from the annual General Enrollment Period. The working-beneficiary SEP is the relief valve that keeps employees from paying penalties while they stay on employer coverage past 65.
Why the other options are wrong
- B) Three months after the birthday is only the back half of the Initial Enrollment Period, not the working-person SEP, so this option confuses the two windows.
- C) The SEP is 8 months, not 12, and it is triggered by the end of employer coverage or employment rather than by the birthday, so this option has the wrong length and trigger.
- D) The SEP is not confined to the birthday month; it runs 8 months after the group coverage ends, so this option drastically shortens the window.
Memory hook
Working past 65? The SEP clock starts at 8 months when your group coverage ends — no penalty inside that window.