Gee - it all sounds so easy. My wife & I do currently have health insurance through my employer. My wife turns 65 in another 3.5 years approx., so I intend to keep working for at least another 3.5 years. I was told by several friends that I need to sign-up regardless if I need the insurance or not, or else there will be some pretty significant cost penalties. I'm going to seek out an insurance broker who can try to simplify all of this & explain my options. Thanks for all your advice so far. It's still as clear as mud to me.
Here's the scoop straight from medicare.gov
What else do I need to know?
Your 8-month Special Enrollment Period to sign up for Part B starts when you stop working, even if you choose COBRA
or other coverage that’s not Medicare.
If you lose your job-based health coverage before you or your spouse stop working, you have 8 months to sign up.
If you want Medicare coverage to start when your job-based health insurance ends, you need to sign up for Part B the month before you or your spouse plan to retire. Your coverage will start the month after Social Security (or the Railroad Retirement Board) gets your completed forms. You’ll need to fill out an extra form showing you had job-based health coverage while you or your spouse were working.
Choose "check when to sign up" from this linky
