[Publius6961]

That all depends on the individual, state of health and minimum age to get full benefits. When I retired, for example I had to wait 2 years past my minimum full-benefits age and it made a substantial difference in the starting amount, which at the time was supposed to increase as the cost of living increased (that has since been eliminated for 2009 and 2010)

As a general rule, barring health issues, it is best to begin as late as possible.

But under certain circumstances, it makes sense to start as soon as you're eligible for full benefits.

For me that was 65y2m, but I had to wait for 67y2m and got about 10% more starting benefits.

[dalereed]

“For me that was 65y2m, but I had to wait for 67y2m and got about 10% more starting benefits.”

That’s Social Security and hasn’t got anything to do with Medicare.