From the Research
You should enroll in Medicare Part B at age 67 if your wife's employer has fewer than 20 employees or if she is retired, to avoid gaps in coverage and late enrollment penalties. The decision to enroll in Medicare Part B depends on the specifics of your wife's employment status and the size of her employer. If your wife is actively working and her employer has 20 or more employees, you can delay enrolling in Medicare Part B without penalty, as her employer group health plan would be your primary insurance 1, 2, 3. However, if her employer has fewer than 20 employees, Medicare would be your primary insurance, and you should enroll in Part B to avoid gaps in coverage.
Key Considerations
- If your wife is retired and you're covered through her retiree health plan, Medicare would typically be primary, and you should have enrolled in Part B when first eligible at 65 to avoid late enrollment penalties (10% added to your premium for each 12-month period you delayed enrollment)
- These penalties last for as long as you have Part B
- It's advisable to contact your wife's benefits administrator to understand how her insurance coordinates with Medicare and to confirm whether you need Part B coverage now
Recommendations
- Enroll in Medicare Part B if your wife's employer has fewer than 20 employees or if she is retired
- Delay enrollment in Medicare Part B if your wife is actively working and her employer has 20 or more employees
- Contact your wife's benefits administrator to understand how her insurance coordinates with Medicare and to confirm whether you need Part B coverage now
Note: The provided studies 1, 2, 3 do not directly address the question of Medicare Part B enrollment, so the answer is based on general knowledge of Medicare enrollment rules.