Ask Ms. Medicare: When Does the Part B Late Penalty Clock Start Ticking?
Ask Ms. Medicare: Have a question on Medicare? Look first at the Q&As already posted in our Ms. Medicare archive. If the answer you’re looking for isn’t here, e-mail your query to Ms. Medicare at msmed@aarp.org. Be sure to include your name, age, state and Zip Code. Your name will not be published. Q. How does the Part B late penalty work? I missed signing up during my initial enrollment period, which expired at the end of August 2008, but I enrolled in February 2009. I was told I must pay a 10 percent penalty on all my future Part B premiums. Is this correct? A. No, in your case, it’s not correct. The law says that a 10 percent penalty is imposed “for each full 12-month period” that people delay enrolling in Part B when eligible to do so (unless they have group health insurance from their own or their spouse’s current employment). If the delay is less than 12 full months, the penalty should not apply. Social Security officials explain that the penalty clock starts ticking at the begin
