You’ve probably heard thatMedicare is a federal health insurance program for adults age 65 and older. While this is true, it’s also for certain people who are under the age of 65, who have disabilities, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, or permanent kidney failure.
Medicare helps cover the costs of health care, but it does not cover most long-term care programs, nor does it cover allof a person’s medical expenses. If you qualify for Medicare coverage, you get to choose how you get Medicare coverage; you can also purchase Medigap from a private insurer, which is a Medicare supplement policy.
The four parts of Medicare include:
- Part A (hospital insurance) goes towards the costs of hospital care or staying in a skilled nursing facility after a hospital stay.
- Part B (medical insurance) pays for doctors, other health care providers, medical equipment, and outpatient care etc.
- Part C is called Medicare Advantage and it combines the benefits and services from Part A and B.
- Part D goes towards the costs of prescription drugs.
Who Qualifies for Medicare?
The following classes of individuals generally qualify for Medicare:
- Individuals who are 65 or older, who are U.S. citizens or Green Card holders.
- Dependent parents of fully insured deceased children.
- Individuals younger than 65, who are disabled and have been entitled to Social Security Disability benefits for two years.
- Individuals who are receiving disability because they have Lou Gehrig’s disease.
- Individuals diagnosed with permanent kidney failure who are receiving dialysis treatments or who received a kidney transplant.
- Children and spouses (including divorced spouses) of workers (alive or deceased), who worked long enough in a government job that covers Medicare or in a job under Social Security.
Related: Social Security Mother’s or Father’s Insurance Benefits
Interested in applying for SSD benefits? Generally, after someone has been eligible for disability for 24 months, they qualify for Medicare coverage, even if they are younger than 65-years-of-age. To file a disability claim, contact our firm to meet with a Dallas SSD attorney. Let us help streamline the application process for you.