The Social Security Administration (SSA) offers health care benefits to people over age 65, people with end-stage renal disease and disabled people through the Medicare program. The low-cost insurance consists of tree parts: Part A for hospital expenses; Part B for doctor and other medical expenses; and Part D for prescription drug expenses. Medicare participants pay monthly premiums for parts B and D, but payment for part A comes from general Social Security taxes. You can apply for Medicare benefits in Missouri at one of the SSA offices in your area.
Instructions
1. Collect documentation of your citizenship, identity, medical history, work history and income. Include your Social Security card, birth certificate, utility bills proving Missouri residency and your most recent tax return.
2. Visit the SSA website and click "Find a Social Security Office" to locate an office near you. Enter your zip code and print or write down the office information.
3. Go to the office and bring the original verification documents you gathered earlier. Ask for a Medicare application. Fill out the application with your name, address, Social Security number, date of birth, marital status, work status, income and medical history. Fill out the appropriate section to request automatic enrollment in Medicare Plan B. Without automatic enrollment, you will only have a seven-month window to enroll in Plan B. After that time, you must wait for the open enrollment period which runs January 1 through March 31 each year. You will also pay a 10 percent higher premium, as of November 2010, for each year you did not accept Part B coverage. Ask for assistance from a SSA representative if you need it, but plan for a long wait if you go to a busy office in a city such as St. Louis or Kansas City.
4. Turn the application in to a SSA representative. Give the representative the original documents so the SSA can make copies and mail the originals back to you. The SSA will process your application and, if it approves it, you will receive your Medicare card approximately 30 days after requesting the benefits.
Tags: Social Security, automatic enrollment, each year, expenses Part, medical history
