When you suffer from a disability, coming up with money to pay for medical bills can be difficult. Because of this need, the federal government has made Medicare available to certain people who are disabled, regardless of how old they are. Understanding how this program works can help you obtain benefits if you become disabled.
Starting Medicare Benefits
When you have a disability, you could start receiving benefits from the Social Security Disability program. This is another government program that provides you with monetary compensation every month after you become disabled. When you have received these benefits for 25 months, you then become eligible to start receiving Medicare benefits. During the two years leading up to eligibility, you have to pay for medical expenses through private insurance or with cash. In some cases, you may qualify for Medicaid as well.
Medicare Parts
Medicare is broken down into several different parts of coverage. The most basic form of Medicare coverage is Medicare part A. This is a type of hospital coverage that will pay the majority of your bills if you have to go into the hospital. This portion of Medicare is paid for by the government, and you will not have to pay a premium for this coverage. You can also get Medicare part B in this situation. Medicare part B provides you with doctor coverage and it requires a small monthly premium.
Medigap
When you become eligible for Medicare, you may notice that there are some gaps in coverage. For example, Medicare part A only covers 80 percent of covered costs when you have to go into the hospital. If you do not want to have to come up with 20 percent of the bill out of pocket, you could buy a Medigap policy. Medigap is a type of insurance that is designed to fill in the gaps in coverage left by Medicare. You can choose which type of policy you want and pay for the premium out of your own pocket.
Qualifying for Coverage
When you become disabled, this does not necessarily mean that you will automatically qualify for benefits under Medicare. Medicare has a list of disabilities that will qualify someone to receive benefits. For example, if you injure your spine and you become paralyzed, this would count as being disabled. If you injure your leg and have complications during the surgery, this could also lead to disability. Losing your sight or hearing could also qualify you for disability. If you have one of the disabilities on the list, you can start to receive benefits once you are eligible to do so. You may also have to prove that you are still disabled from time to time if you wish to remain on the benefits.
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