Have you been curious lately on who exactly qualifies for Medicare benefits? Sometimes Medicare qualification can get confusing – but it doesn’t have to be.

Keep reading to learn important details everyone must know about Medicare.

Who Qualifies for the Different Medicare Benefits?

First, let’s go over who qualifies for Medicare benefits. Typically Medicare is available to those that are 65 years or older, younger people that have disabilities, or those with End-Stage Renal Disease.

There are different parts of Medicare that cover different services and the qualifications for each vary.
Part A provides inpatient and hospital coverage.
Part B provides outpatient/medical coverage.
Part C offers an alternative way to receive Medicare benefits.
Part D provides prescription drug coverage.

Medicare Part A and B

To receive Part A and Part B you have to either be a U.S. Citizen or a permanent legal resident for a minimum of five years straight. You also have to fall into one of the following criteria:

Permanently Disabled – If you are permanently disabled and receive disability benefits for a minimum of two years from Social Security or from the Railroad Retirement Board you automatically receive Part A and Part B Medicare.

End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) – this is also known as permanent kidney failure that requires either a transplant or a dialysis treatment. Keep in mind enrollment isn’t automatic, which means you will have to sign up for Medicare.

65+ years old – when you reach the age of 65 you may be automatically enrolled in Medicare Part A plus become eligible for Social Security.

If you are not retired yet you have to sign up for Medicare Part B because your enrollment won’t be automatic.

If you are receiving benefits from Social Security or the Railroad Retirement Board you will automatically be enrolled in Part A and Part B Medicare on the first day of the month that you turn 65.

You won’t have to worry about paying premiums if you are eligible to receive Social Security or Railroad benefits but you haven’t filed for them, or if you are already receiving benefits from Social Security or the Railroad Retirement Board.

If you or your spouse had Medicare-covered government employment then you won’t have to pay premiums either.

If you worked and paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years then you’re eligible for premium-free Part A as long as you are 65 years old.

If you’re not eligible for a free premium at the time of this writing you will have to pay a monthly premium of up to $458 in…
 
Continue reading the article and learn more about Medicare on Daisy Linden’s blog.