If you are turning 65 in Georgia, your Welcome to Medicare Package is the set of mailings, enrollment windows, and first-year benefits that Medicare gives every new beneficiary. It includes your red, white, and blue Medicare card, the Medicare & You handbook, a 7-month window to sign up without a penalty, and a one-time Welcome to Medicare visit that costs you nothing. Miss the wrong deadline and the extra cost follows you for life, so the order you do things in matters.
What is in the Georgia Medicare Welcome to Medicare Package?
The Georgia Medicare Welcome to Medicare Package is not a single envelope or a form you fill out. It is the whole onboarding sequence that happens once, when you first become eligible, made up of a few moving parts:
- Your Medicare card and welcome mailing, sent about three months before your coverage starts.
- The Medicare & You handbook, the plain-language guide to benefits and plan choices that Medicare mails each fall.
- Your enrollment windows, the specific months when you can sign up for Part A, Part B, a Part D drug plan, or a Medicare Advantage plan.
- The one-time Welcome to Medicare visit with a primary care provider, covered at $0.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Preventive and screening services. medicare.gov. Retrieved Aug 8, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/preventive-screening-services
For most Georgians, eligibility begins at age 65. It can begin earlier if you have received Social Security Disability Insurance for two years, or if you have ALS or end-stage renal disease. The rest of this guide walks through the two things that trip people up most, signing up on time and buying supplemental coverage in your one guaranteed window, and then the free help available across Georgia.
When can you sign up for Medicare in Georgia?
Your main chance to enroll is your Initial Enrollment Period (IEP), a 7-month window built around your 65th birthday: the 3 months before your birthday month, the birthday month itself, and the 3 months after. If you sign up in the first three months, your coverage starts the first day of your birthday month. If you wait until your birthday month or later, coverage starts the first day of the month after you sign up.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Open Enrollment. medicare.gov. Retrieved Aug 8, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/health-drug-plans/open-enrollment
Whether you have to act depends on your situation:
- You are already drawing Social Security. You are enrolled in Part A and Part B automatically, and your card arrives in the mail. You can keep Part B or decline it if you have other qualifying coverage.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Open Enrollment. medicare.gov. Retrieved Aug 8, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/health-drug-plans/open-enrollment
- You are not drawing Social Security yet. Nothing happens automatically. You must sign up yourself through the Social Security Administration, ideally in the three months before you turn 65 so your coverage starts on time.Office of the Law Revision Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives. (n.d.). 42 U.S.C. 426 - Entitlement to hospital insurance benefits (OLRC prelim, rolling). uscode.house.gov. Retrieved Aug 3, 2026, from https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title42-section426&num=0&edition=prelim
If you miss your IEP and do not qualify for another window, you can still enroll during the General Enrollment Period, January 1 through March 31 each year. Under the BENES Act, coverage now starts the first day of the month after you sign up, so the old delay to July 1 no longer applies. A late enrollment penalty may still apply.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). When does Medicare coverage start?. medicare.gov. Retrieved Aug 9, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/basics/get-started-with-medicare/sign-up/when-does-medicare-coverage-start
Still working at 65?
If you (or your spouse) are still working and you have group health coverage from that current employer, you can delay Part B without a penalty. You can sign up any time while that coverage lasts, and you get an 8-month Special Enrollment Period that starts the month the job or the coverage ends, whichever comes first. One warning that costs Georgians dearly: COBRA continuation coverage and retiree plans do not count as current-employer coverage, so they do not give you that Special Enrollment Period. If you are on COBRA at 65, enroll in Part B during your IEP.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). When does Medicare coverage start?. medicare.gov. Retrieved Aug 9, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/basics/get-started-with-medicare/sign-up/when-does-medicare-coverage-start
How to sign up for Medicare, step by step
Check whether you are enrolled automatically
If you are already drawing Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefits, Part A and Part B come to you automatically and your card arrives about three months before your birthday. If not, plan to sign up yourself.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Open Enrollment. medicare.gov. Retrieved Aug 8, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/health-drug-plans/open-enrollment
Decide about Part B during your 7-month window
Part A is premium-free for most people with a 10-year work history, but Part B carries a monthly premium, $202.90 in 2026, so this is a real choice only if you have other current-employer coverage. If you do not, take Part B on time to avoid a lifelong penalty.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2026). 2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles. cms.gov. Retrieved Aug 7, 2026, from https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/2026-medicare-parts-b-premiums-deductibles
Enroll through Social Security
Apply online at ssa.gov, by phone at 1-800-772-1213, or at a Georgia Social Security Administration office. This is how you sign up for Medicare and get Part A and Part B.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). How do I sign up for Medicare?. medicare.gov. Retrieved Jul 15, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/basics/get-started-with-medicare/sign-up/how-do-i-sign-up-for-medicare
Add drug coverage or a Medicare Advantage plan
Choose either Original Medicare with a stand-alone Part D drug plan, or a Medicare Advantage plan that bundles medical and drug coverage. Sign up during your IEP so your Part D coverage starts penalty-free.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Open Enrollment. medicare.gov. Retrieved Aug 8, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/health-drug-plans/open-enrollment
Buy a Medigap policy inside your 6-month window, if you want one
If you stay with Original Medicare, this is the one time insurers must sell you any policy regardless of your health.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2025). Choosing a Medigap Policy: A Guide to Health Insurance for People with Medicare (CMS/NAIC, 2025) - Medicare.gov. medicare.gov. Retrieved Aug 8, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/publications/02110-choosing-a-medigap-policy.pdf
Schedule your Welcome to Medicare visit
In your first 12 months on Part B, book the one-time preventive visit with your primary care provider. It costs you $0 when the provider accepts assignment.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Preventive and screening services. medicare.gov. Retrieved Aug 8, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/preventive-screening-services
Your one-time Welcome to Medicare visit
The Welcome to Medicare visit, formally the Initial Preventive Physical Examination (IPPE), is a once-in-a-lifetime benefit you can use only in your first 12 months on Part B. It is covered at $0 when your provider accepts assignment, and the Part B deductible does not apply. It is not a head-to-toe physical. It is a planning visit: your provider reviews your health history and risk factors, checks basics like blood pressure and body mass index, screens for depression, reviews your ability to handle everyday activities of daily living, and builds a schedule of the screenings and shots you should get next.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Preventive and screening services. medicare.gov. Retrieved Aug 8, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/preventive-screening-services,Administration for Community Living. (n.d.). Administration for Community Living (HHS/ACL) — Long-Term Care Glossary (ADLs). acl.gov. Retrieved Aug 3, 2026, from https://acl.gov/ltc/glossary
Many Georgians never use this visit because they do not know the 12-month clock is running. Book it early. After your first year, it is replaced by the yearly Annual Wellness Visit, which is also $0 and covers similar prevention planning.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Preventive and screening services. medicare.gov. Retrieved Aug 8, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/preventive-screening-services
| Feature | Welcome to Medicare visit (IPPE) | Yearly Wellness visit (AWV) |
|---|---|---|
| When you can use it | Once, in your first 12 months on Part B | Every 12 months, after your first year |
| Cost to you | Free when the provider accepts assignment | Free when the provider accepts assignment |
| What it is | A one-time prevention planning visit, not a physical | A yearly prevention planning visit, not a physical |
| Main focus | Baseline health review, a screening schedule, referrals | An updated prevention plan and health-risk review |
Medicare late enrollment penalties, and how to avoid them
The penalties for signing up late are permanent, which is why on-time enrollment matters more than almost any other Medicare decision.
- Part B: if you go without Part B and do not qualify for a Special Enrollment Period or a Medicare Savings Program, your premium rises 10% for each full 12-month period you could have had it, and you pay that surcharge for as long as you have Part B. Two years late means a 20% penalty for life.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Avoid late enrollment penalties. medicare.gov. Retrieved Jul 15, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/basics/costs/medicare-costs/avoid-penalties
- Part D: if you go 63 days or more without creditable drug coverage after your enrollment period, you pay 1% of the national base beneficiary premium ($38.99 in 2026) for each month you went without, added for life. There is generally no Part D penalty if you kept creditable drug coverage or you qualify for Extra Help.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Avoid late enrollment penalties. medicare.gov. Retrieved Jul 15, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/basics/costs/medicare-costs/avoid-penalties
- Part A: most people get Part A premium-free and owe no penalty. If you have to buy Part A and sign up late, your premium may go up 10%, and you pay that for twice the number of years you delayed, not for life; usually no penalty applies if you meet the conditions for a Special Enrollment Period.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Avoid late enrollment penalties. medicare.gov. Retrieved Jul 15, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/basics/costs/medicare-costs/avoid-penalties
The way to avoid every one of these is the same: enroll during your IEP unless you have current-employer coverage, and keep creditable prescription drug coverage if you delay Part D.
The 6-month Medigap window in Georgia
If you choose Original Medicare, a Medigap policy pays the gaps Medicare leaves, such as coinsurance and deductibles. The catch is timing. Your Medigap Open Enrollment Period is a single 6-month window that begins the first month you are both 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. During it, insurers must sell you any policy they offer at the best rate regardless of your health, with no medical underwriting. If you are new to Medicare, Plans C and F are closed to you, and Plan G covers the same benefits as Plan F apart from the annual Part B deductible.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2025). Choosing a Medigap Policy: A Guide to Health Insurance for People with Medicare (CMS/NAIC, 2025) - Medicare.gov. medicare.gov. Retrieved Aug 8, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/publications/02110-choosing-a-medigap-policy.pdf
Georgia follows the federal rule and does not add an annual "birthday rule" or other state guaranteed-issue window the way a few states do. Once your 6 months pass, a Georgia insurer can use medical underwriting, charge you more, or decline you outright based on your health, except where a separate federal guaranteed-issue right applies. For anyone with a pre-existing condition, missing this window is one of the costliest Medicare mistakes you can make.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2025). CMS / Medicare.gov — Choosing a Medigap Policy: A Guide to Health Insurance for People with Medicare (publication 02110). medicare.gov. Retrieved Aug 9, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/publications/02110-choosing-a-medigap-policy.pdf
If you qualify before 65: disability, ALS, or ESRD
You can reach Medicare before 65 through three pathways, each with its own timing:
- Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI): after you have been entitled to SSDI for 24 months, Medicare begins in your 25th month, and enrollment is automatic.Office of the Law Revision Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives. (n.d.). 42 U.S.C. 426 - Entitlement to hospital insurance benefits (OLRC prelim, rolling). uscode.house.gov. Retrieved Aug 3, 2026, from https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title42-section426&num=0&edition=prelim
- ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease): the 24-month wait is waived. Medicare begins the first month you are entitled to disability benefits.Office of the Law Revision Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives. (n.d.). 42 U.S.C. 426 - Entitlement to hospital insurance benefits (OLRC prelim, rolling). uscode.house.gov. Retrieved Aug 3, 2026, from https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title42-section426&num=0&edition=prelim
- End-stage renal disease (ESRD): if you qualify on kidney failure alone and you are on dialysis, coverage usually starts the first day of the fourth month of dialysis, with an earlier start possible for home-dialysis training or a transplant.Office of the Law Revision Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives. (n.d.). 42 U.S.C. 426 - Entitlement to hospital insurance benefits (OLRC prelim, rolling). uscode.house.gov. Retrieved Aug 3, 2026, from https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title42-section426&num=0&edition=prelim
If you also qualify for Medicaid
Some Georgia seniors qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid, which makes them "dual eligible." If you have limited income, a Medicare Savings Program can pay your Part B premium and the Medicare Low-Income Subsidy (Extra Help) can cut your drug costs, and qualifying for these can open a Special Enrollment Period to change plans outside the standard windows. The Georgia Department of Community Health runs the state's Medicaid program, and a GeorgiaCares counselor can check whether you qualify and help you apply.
Where Georgia seniors get help with the Welcome to Medicare Package
Georgia has 2,019,345 people with Medicare, and more than half of them, 1,132,430, are enrolled in Medicare Advantage and other health plans; 886,915 stay in Original Medicare. For 2026, CMS counts 180 Medicare Advantage plans available in Georgia, up from 178 in 2025, and every Medicare-eligible Georgian has access to at least one with a $0 monthly premium. That statewide count is not the number you personally choose from, though: a KFF analysis of the CMS landscape files, which counts only plans open to general enrollment, finds the average Georgian chooses among 47 plans offered by an average of 8 insurers.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2026). 2026 ma part d landscape state state fact sheet. cms.gov. Retrieved Jul 11, 2026, from https://www.cms.gov/files/document/2026-ma-part-d-landscape-state-state-fact-sheet.pdf
You do not have to sort through this alone, and you should not pay anyone to help you. GeorgiaCares, the state's State Health Insurance Assistance Program, gives free, unbiased Medicare counseling and does not sell insurance.Administration for Community Living. (n.d.). Administration for Community Living — State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). acl.gov. Retrieved Jul 30, 2026, from https://acl.gov/programs/connecting-people-services/state-health-insurance-assistance-program-ship
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Welcome to Medicare Package?
It is the onboarding sequence every new beneficiary gets when they first become eligible: your Medicare card and welcome mailing, the Medicare & You handbook, your enrollment windows, and the one-time Welcome to Medicare preventive visit.
When can I sign up for Medicare in Georgia?
During your Initial Enrollment Period, the 7 months made up of the 3 months before your 65th-birthday month, that month, and the 3 months after. If you miss it, you can sign up during the General Enrollment Period, January 1 through March 31.
Does the Welcome to Medicare visit cost anything?
No. The visit is $0 when your provider accepts assignment, and the Part B deductible does not apply. You have your first 12 months on Part B to use it.
What happens if I sign up for Medicare late?
Without a Special Enrollment Period or a Medicare Savings Program, the Part B penalty adds 10% to your premium for every 12 months you delayed, for life. The Part D penalty adds 1% of the national base premium per month you went without creditable drug coverage, and it does not apply if you qualify for Extra Help.
Can I delay Part B if I am still working?
Yes, if you have coverage from a current employer (yours or your spouse's). You then get an 8-month Special Enrollment Period after that job or coverage ends. COBRA and retiree coverage do not qualify, so do not rely on them.
When can I buy a Medigap policy in Georgia?
During your one-time 6-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period, which starts the first month you are 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. After it closes, Georgia insurers can use your health to deny you or charge more.
Where can I get free help with Medicare in Georgia?
Call GeorgiaCares, the state's free counseling program, at 1-866-552-4464. Counselors do not sell insurance and can compare plans and check whether you qualify for help with costs.Administration for Community Living. (n.d.). Administration for Community Living — State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). acl.gov. Retrieved Jul 30, 2026, from https://acl.gov/programs/connecting-people-services/state-health-insurance-assistance-program-ship
Learn More
Find personalized help navigating Medicare enrollment in Georgia at brevy.com.
The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.