Dear Rusty: I will be 65 in October and I am working full-time. My goal is to work until age 67, which is my full retirement age, or until age 70. I heard I have to apply for Medicare Part A only. Is this true or will I be penalized? And do I have to go to the Social Security office to do this, or can I do it online? And then will they be still giving me my Medicare through the next five years of working, or do I have to pay for something? I will have my own healthcare insurance. Thank you for your help. Signed: Confused Dear Confused: There are two things you should be aware of: 1. You do not need to claim Social Security benefits when you enroll in Medicare 2. You do not need to enroll in Medicare at age 65 if you have “creditable” healthcare coverage from your employer (“creditable” is a group plan with at least 20 participants) Thus, it is perfectly okay for you to delay taking your Social Security benefits until age 67 (your SS full retirement age), or even until age 70 when you will get the maximum SS benefit you are entitled to. And if you now have “creditable” healthcare coverage from your employer, you can delay enrolling in Medicare until such time as your employer’s healthcare coverage ends. When you stop working, you will enter a Medicare Special Enrollment Period (SEP), during which you can enroll in Medicare without incurring a Late Enrollment Penalty.