Who is eligible for Medicare?
Generally, Medicare is available for people age 65 or older, younger people with disabilities and people with End Stage Renal Disease (permanent kidney failure requiring dialysis or transplant). Medicare has two parts, Part A (Hospital Insurance) and Part B (Medicare Insurance). You are eligible for premium-free Part A if you are age 65 or older and you or your spouse worked and paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years. You can get Part A at age 65 without having to pay premiums if: • You are receiving retirement benefits from Social Security or the Railroad Retirement Board. • You are eligible to receive Social Security or Railroad benefits but you have not yet filed for them. • You or your spouse had Medicare-covered government employment. To find out if you are eligible, go the Medicare.gov eligibility tool.
From the Medicare web site To be eligible for Medicare, one must be a U.S. citizen living in the U.S. or a foreign national who has applied for legal residency and has lived in the U.S. for a minimum of five years. There are four categories of Medicare eligibility: Social Security/Railroad Retiree: Persons aged 65 or older who are eligible for Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefits. Medicare Part A is automatic and Part B is optional. Medicare Part A becomes available at age 65. For Medicare Part B enrollment can occur three months before, during the month of, and up to three months after a qualified individual’s 65th birthday. Social Security Disability/ESRD Recipients: People under age 65 who meet the eligibility criteria for Social Security Disability can qualify for Medicare. However, individuals must first be entitled to Social Security benefits for 24 successive months in order to get Medicare. Thereafter, Medicare Part A is automatic and Part B is optional. In addition,
Generally, you are eligible for Medicare if you or your spouse worked for at least 10 years in Medicare-covered employment and you are 65 years old and a citizen or permanent resident of the United States. You might also qualify for coverage if you are a younger person with a disability or with End-Stage Renal disease (permanent kidney failure requiring dialysis or transplant).
Medicare: Medicare is federal health insurance for people who are 65 years of age and older, any age with end stage renal (kidney) disease or Lou Gehrigs’s Disease (ALS), or individuals disabled and entitled to Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefits (24 month waiting period). To learn more about Medicare click here.
