Medicare is a federal social insurance program that provides health care benefits to those who enroll in the program. It is funded in part by income taxes that the Internal Revenue Service collects from the paychecks and wages of working Americans. Because the eligibility for enrollment may vary significantly, you may find it challenging to figure out when benefits will start, depending on your age, the year in which you were born and the overall state of your health.
What Is Medicare?
Medicare is a comprehensive government-run program that provides health insurance coverage to its recipients. Since 1965 when its legislation first passed, Medicare covers 80 percent of its recipients' medical expenses. If you are a Medicare recipient, you must pay the remaining 20 percent of your expenses out of pocket. You can also subscribe to a private Medicare supplement to help defray the remaining out-of-pocket expense.
Eligibility
Any American citizen or legal resident who is age 65 or over is eligible to enroll in Medicare. Individuals who are permanently disabled by a qualifying disability can also enroll in Medicare, at any time, as long as they are also receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). Additionally, people who suffer from end-stage renal failure or Lou Gherig's disease are also eligible to enroll in Medicare.
Medicare and Retirement
Depending on your age, the Social Security administration may enroll you automatically at age 65 if you are in the age range that can legally retire at age 65. If a person can legally retire by age 65, the Social Security Administration will automatically send them Medicare documents with detailed explanations of their new policies and benefits three months prior to their 65th birthday.
Others can only retire and receive their full Social Security benefits at age 66 or 67, depending on their birth years. Individuals with later retirement ages can still enroll in Medicare when they turn 65, but they must contact Social Security and enroll themselves. The Social Security Administration won't enroll them automatically until they reach their legal retirement ages.
Medicare and Disability Insurance
Regardless of age, SSDI recipients qualify automatically for Medicare. However, they must wait 24 continuous months of receiving disability benefits before being eligible for Medicare, regardless of age. SSDI recipients don't have to do anything to enroll; the Social Security Administration enrolls you automatically in the 25th month. However, there are two exceptions to this waiting period. The Social Security Administration doesn't require the waiting period from patients with end-stage renal failure or Lou Gherig's disease; they become eligible to enroll in Medicare almost immediately.
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