Medicare Videos, Forms and Resources
These videos are for educational purposes. Watch, download the form you need, or bring your questions to Jackie and she will review your unique situation.
Watch: Medicare in a few minutes
The official Get Started with Medicare series from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Watch first, ideally a year or so before 65. It explains Parts A, B, C and D, the vocabulary every later choice uses.
Watch before you compare plans, at 65 or before the fall Annual Enrollment Period. It frames the main decision: Original Medicare (often with a Medigap plan and a drug plan) or a Medicare Advantage plan.
Watch about six months before your 65th birthday month. Your seven-month window opens three months before that month, and signing up early lets coverage start on time.
Watch if you are thinking of delaying Part B, for example because you are still working. It shows how the 10% per year penalty builds and when job coverage protects you.
Medicare forms you may need
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CMS-40B: Application for Enrollment in Medicare Part B
Use it to sign up for Part B, including during a Special Enrollment Period after group health coverage based on current employment ends.
When you need it: You already have Part A (or are signing up for it) and are adding Part B, most often when you retire or your employer coverage ends after 65. File it within the 8 months after the job or the coverage ends, whichever comes first, to avoid the Part B penalty. Many people turning 65 with no job coverage simply apply online with Social Security instead.
Download from the official site -
CMS-L564: Request for Employment Information
Proof of group health coverage based on current employment. Your employer fills in the coverage and employment dates, and it goes in with your Part B application.
When you need it: Alongside the CMS-40B whenever you delayed Part B because of job-based coverage. You fill in Section A and your employer, or each past employer, completes Section B. Ask before you leave, because getting it signed after you retire can take weeks. If an employer has closed or cannot complete it, call Social Security or ask me which other proof they will accept.
Download from the official site -
SSA-44: Medicare Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount, Life-Changing Event
If your Part B or drug premium includes IRMAA and a life-changing event such as retirement has lowered your income, this asks Social Security to use the newer income.
When you need it: After you receive an IRMAA notice from Social Security and your income has since dropped because of a qualifying event such as stopping work, reduced work hours, marriage, divorce or the death of a spouse. Attach proof, such as a retirement letter, and an estimate of the lower income.
Download from the official site -
CMS-10106: Authorization to Disclose Personal Health Information
Gives 1-800-MEDICARE written permission to share your personal health information with someone you name, such as an adult child.
When you need it: Before a family member or caregiver calls Medicare on your behalf about claims, coverage or enrollment. By law, 1-800-MEDICARE cannot share your information with them without it. You can also submit it through your Medicare.gov account, and cancel it at any time in writing.
Download from the official site
Not sure which form applies to you? Call (856) 727-4221 before you mail anything; a wrong form can delay coverage. Keep a copy of everything you send.
Official help and our guides
- Medicare & You 2027 handbookThe official government handbook, mailed each fall and available online. Use it in October to check the year’s rules and costs before the Annual Enrollment Period.
- Medicare Plan FinderCompare every plan in your ZIP code on Medicare.gov. Use it each fall with your exact drug list and pharmacy to see each 2027 plan’s yearly drug cost.
- 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227)Medicare itself, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. TTY 1-877-486-2048. Call for claims questions, a replacement card or to enroll in a plan by phone.
- Social Security: sign up for MedicareApply for Parts A and B online at ssa.gov. Use it in your Initial Enrollment Period if you are not already getting Social Security benefits, which would enroll you automatically.
- Medicare.gov: help with drug costs (Extra Help)Who qualifies for Extra Help and how to apply. Check it if your income and savings are limited or your drug costs are high; people with NJ FamilyCare (Medicaid) or a Medicare Savings Program usually get Extra Help automatically.
- NJ Medicare Savings Programs (QMB, SLMB, QI)New Jersey programs that help pay Medicare premiums, deductibles and coinsurance for people with limited income and assets. You apply through the NJSave application.
- PAAD: Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and DisabledNew Jersey prescription help for eligible residents with Medicare, run by the NJ Division of Aging Services.
- Senior Gold Prescription Discount ProgramA New Jersey program that lowers out-of-pocket costs for Medicare prescription drug coverage, run by the NJ Division of Aging Services.
- NJ FamilyCare (New Jersey Medicaid)New Jersey's publicly funded health coverage program, including Medicaid. Call 1-800-701-0710 (TTY 711).
- NJ Department of Banking and InsuranceConsumer help and complaints about an insurance company or agent. Call 1-800-446-7467.
Guides from the Garden State Data Desk
Resource questions
What form do I need to sign up for Part B after my employer coverage ends?
Usually the CMS-40B application together with the CMS-L564, which your employer completes to show your group coverage dates.
How do I lower my IRMAA after I retire?
File form SSA-44 with Social Security and include proof of the life-changing event, such as a retirement letter.
How can my daughter or son talk to Medicare for me?
Send 1-800-MEDICARE a signed CMS-10106 Authorization to Disclose Personal Health Information naming them, or submit it through your Medicare.gov account. Without it, Medicare cannot share your information with them.
Where can I get help with Medicare in New Jersey at no cost?
Jackie reviews your Medicare options at no cost and with no obligation: call or text (856) 727-4221. For official answers about your own record, use Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE, and for Social Security enrollment use ssa.gov. The NJ Medicare Savings Programs, PAAD and Senior Gold are applied for through the NJSave application from the NJ Division of Aging Services, and NJ FamilyCare at 1-800-701-0710.
Do you need a consultation?
Tell Jackie about your current situation. Telephone, Zoom or in person, at no cost to you. Call or text (856) 727-4221.
Serving South Jersey and all of New Jersey · (856) 727-4221
Content reviewed by Jackie Layser, Licensed Medicare Insurance Agent at Garden State Medicare Solutions, New Jersey, helping Medicare clients since 2008. How we source and review our content. Last updated .