Social Security: Does Medicare Force You to Take Benefits?

Most people who enroll in Medicare have their required premiums withheld from their Social Security benefits. But if you don't get Social Security, will Medicare force you to do so in order to pay for premiums?

In the latest installment of our Social Security Q&A video series, Dan Caplinger, The Motley Fool's director of investment planning, takes a question from Janet, who wants to wait until full retirement age of 66 to get Social Security but worries that applying for Medicare at age 65 might not make that possible. Dan reassures his viewers that Medicare and Social Security are unrelated in the sense that you don't have to take one to get the other. As Dan discovers, all you have to do is to send a separate check or have your premiums taken from a bank account through an electronic funds transfer. That way, you can make the smart decision about your Social Security benefits without worrying about the impact on Medicare.