How to Apply for Medicare Part B

How do I complete the Part B decision and submit my Medicare application?

In the benefitbay Medicare + ICHRA (CHOICE) path, the Part B screen has one required answer: Yes—apply for Part A and Part B.

Quick answer

After you complete the personal-information screens in the official Social Security application, you reach the Part B decision. Select Yes to apply for both Part A and Part B. Selecting No applies for Part A but declines Part B, which does not meet the requirements for benefitbay Medicare + ICHRA (CHOICE). Then answer the final questions accurately, electronically sign your own application, review every field, and submit.

Step 1: make the required Part B selection

The official application explains that, if you are eligible, you are enrolled in Part A automatically and shows the current Part B premium and your Initial Enrollment Period. It then asks whether you want to apply for Medicare Part B.

For the benefitbay Medicare + ICHRA (CHOICE) path, choose:

Yes — Apply for Part A and Part B.

Choosing No applies for Part A and declines Part B. Do not select that option for this employer path. Part B is required because it provides the medical and outpatient coverage that completes your Original Medicare foundation. Without Part B, you cannot complete the Medicare coverage route, and benefitbay cannot activate ICHRA (CHOICE) for this Medicare transition.

Step 2: answer the final questions based on your actual situation

The application may ask whether you currently have Medicaid, meaning state health insurance. Answer based on your current coverage. It may also ask whether you or your spouse receive a retirement annuity under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). Do not answer from memory or guess. The supplied walkthrough advises answering no to the CSRS question unless you or your spouse worked for the federal government under CSRS.

These are official federal application questions. If you do not understand what a question is asking, pause and use the official help option or contact Social Security. A benefitbay licensed Medicare Advisor can explain how your expected Medicare date connects to the ICHRA (CHOICE) transition, but cannot answer a government application question on your behalf.

Step 3: review the effective date and all information before you sign

Before the electronic signature screen, confirm that the application reflects the transition you planned with the benefitbay Medicare Team:

• You selected Part A and Part B.
• Your contact details are accurate.
• Your expected Medicare effective date supports the end of the prior group or individual plan.
• You have addressed any HSA or COBRA timing issue.
• You know the ICHRA (CHOICE) effective date and the next benefitbay handoff after approval.

The signature statement includes a penalty-of-perjury declaration. The applicant must read and check the signature box themselves. Someone can sit alongside you for support, but cannot sign the online application in your place.

Step 4: use the final review before you submit

After you electronically sign, the application displays a warning before the final Submit now action. Review every section using the available Edit links. This is the point to correct an address, contact number, or response before submission.

The walkthrough is explicit: after you submit, you cannot change the information online. Later corrections may require a call to a local Social Security office. Do not rush the final click because you are close to a deadline; a careful final review is faster than correcting an avoidable error later.

If you are over 65, already have Part A, and need to add Part B

This is the application path for someone who delayed Part B while they had qualifying current group coverage through their own or a spouse’s job. Do not use the standard first-time Parts A and B workflow as though you are new to both parts. Complete these steps instead:

1. Ask HR for the official group coverage end date and for an employer-completed CMS-L564. This form documents the current job-based coverage that supports the Special Enrollment Period.
2. Use Social Security’s official Part B-only enrollment path. Select the Part B-only route rather than reopening a first-time Parts A and B application.
3. Submit the Part B request and employer documentation through the official Social Security process. Keep proof of the submission.
4. Confirm the Medicare effective date. For the benefitbay transition, Part B needs to begin when the group coverage ends so Medicare and ICHRA (CHOICE) replace the group plan without a gap.
5. Provide the approval details through the authorized benefitbay process. The benefitbay Medicare Team then moves the Medicare beneficiary into Medicare coverage selection and ICHRA (CHOICE) premium activation.

If you are over 65 and do not have Part A or Part B, you still need both parts for ICHRA (CHOICE). Use the official Parts A and B enrollment path and coordinate any employer coverage documentation that Social Security requires. The benefitbay rule does not change: Part B must become active before the ICHRA (CHOICE) Medicare path can be completed.

What to do immediately after submitting

Download, print, or take a secure photo of the receipt before closing the tab. Keep the confirmation number, monitor your my Social Security account, and respond quickly if Social Security requests information. Page 13 explains the approval notice, Medicare Number, coverage-selection handoff, and ICHRA (CHOICE) activation steps that follow.