What is a "Letter of Entitlement"?

From time to time I am referred to people turning 65 that have not applied for Medicare until just before their intended effective date. It can take two to three weeks for Medicare to send out the card indicating enrollment in Part A and Part B.

All Medicare health plans require the person be enrolled to Medicare Part A and Part B. In fact, the agent/broker must copy the card information onto the enrollment application verbatim.

So, what if the person has not received their card and they want to get their application filed on time so their Medicare health plan begins on the desired date?

You can get a "Letter of Entitlement" for proof of Medicare benefits online. Log into "My Social Security" at http://www.ssa.gov - create a personal account and print off the letter of entitlement without having to wait for the US Postal Service!

The agent/broker can submit a copy of the letter of entitlement with the insurance application. This prompts the insurance company to pend the application and "ping" (check) the MARx (National Eligibility Database) rather than deny the application.

Thus, if you are close to age 65 and are waiting for your Medicare card to arrive in the mail, you can do an end run on the US Postal Service by using the website above to get your own "Letter of Entitlement."