OK, you’re correct, but you’ve oversimplified the situation (or it might be better to say the government has overcomplicated the situation).
From the medicare.gov website:
“Your Medigap open enrollment period begins when you enroll in Part B and can’t be changed or repeated.”
And this:
“If you have group health coverage through an employer or union because either you or your spouse is currently working, you may want to wait to enroll in Part B. Employer plans often provide coverage similar to Medigap, so you don’t need a Medigap policy.”
“When your employer coverage ends, you’ll get a chance to enroll in Part B without a late enrollment penalty which means your Medigap open enrollment period will start when you’re ready to take advantage of it. If you enrolled in Part B while you still had the employer coverage, your Medigap open enrollment period would start, and unless you bought a Medigap policy before you needed it, you would miss your open enrollment period entirely.”
So, if you don’t sign up for Medicare B, the Medigap open enrollment period doesn’t happen. If you have other insurance options, you can delay signing up for Medicare B and Medigap, but the rates will probably be higher then because of the Part B penalty, and the fact that you are older.
There are also what they call “guaranteed issue rights” which enter into the picture in certain situations, most notably cases in which employer plans for retirees and older workers end (the dreaded employer mandate), or if you’re in an existing Medicare Advantage Part C plan that is dropped. In these cases, you effectively get a second chance at a Medigap open enrollment.
I believe you’re right on Plan F-that’s definitely the way to go once you do go with Medicare A and B.
I didn’t want to get that complicated in my post, but yes, I knew that and you’re right. What I posted “erred” in favor of the Medicare recipient so that they would definitely look into it BEFORE they would potentially lose out. I don’t think the majority of people will fit into that particular technicality.
I want to warn people here that they should not think that they understand this technicality here and bypass their Open Enrollment. They need to check, check again and check one more time (all with different sources) and make sure they understand it PERFECTLY because you don’t want this one to slip by you!