Patty Duke is back—and this time she's brought the entire family. The cast of The Patty Duke Show reunited to create a series of public service announcements to promote Social Security's new online Medicare application and other services.

You can view the new spots at www.socialsecurity.gov/medicareonly.

Patty Duke and her television family entertained American households on The Patty Duke Show in the 1960s. Now, they're telling families just how fast and easy it is to apply online for Medicare. It takes less than 10 minutes.

Even if you decide to wait until after you're age 65 to apply for retirement benefits, most people should start getting Medicare coverage at age 65. If you'd like to begin your Medicare coverage, you should apply within four months of reaching age 65.

It's important to note that people who already receive Social Security retirement or disability benefits do not need to apply; they will be automatically enrolled in Medicare.

Why apply online? Because it's fast, easy, and convenient. You don't need an appointment and you can avoid waiting in traffic or in line.

If you're within four months of turning age 65 or older, what are you waiting for? As Patty Duke and her television family will tell you, it takes less than 10 minutes! Visit www.socialsecurity.gov and select the "Retirement/Medicare" link in the middle of the page.

And be sure to catch TV's most famous identical cousins and the whole family at www.socialsecurity.gov/medicareonly.

Ginny Jordan is a Public Affairs Specialist for the Social Security Administration. Her weekly column on all things Social Security appears in the Sunday Edition of the Sun-Sentinel.

Ginny has agreed to let us reprint her articles here for your convenience.

Thank you Ginny!