For anyone qualified now for Medicare who has not applied yet, or concerned for a loved one, Al Franken has a webpage that is helpful to all citizens, (those he represents in Minnesota, those who might live elsewhere as relatives of Minnesotans, or otherwise).
http://franken.senate.gov/?p=hot_topic&id=1792
This Screenshot:
Be grateful for Al.
You are not going to get that kind of useful info from "socialism" hating Michele Bachmann, or her Congressional webpage.
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Hat tip to Kathleen Riley-Daniels, this link. She published back in October, and that is how I learned of the Franken page.
UPDATE: It has to be said, with Franken having noted a Dec. 7 cutoff date; online application is available to meet the deadline; and there is a time-date stamp at the end of the online application, plus an email confirmation sent, along with a uniquely assigned online application identification number for applicant use. It's a fairly streamlined thing, and social security base application details can be pinned down in a single application including Medicare, or one can opt to only apply for Medicare to beat the deadline, for now.
Again, Dec 7 is the deadline.
For applying online, this link:
http://www.ssa.gov/medicareonly/