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Eligibility for a Medicare Policy

Eligibility for Medicare depends mainly on whether or not you have paid Medicare tax. However, even if you have never paid Medicare tax, you might qualify to receive Medicare benefits based on your spouse's tax payment history, or you may be able to buy Medicare coverage. You must also reach the required age to start receiving benefits, unless you are disabled and a recipient of disability benefits.

  1. Medicare Part A Eligibility

    • To be eligible to receive Medicare Part A (hospital insurance), you must be 65 years old. If you are receiving Social Security Disability benefits, you are eligible to receive Part A at any age after 24 months from the payment of your first disability benefit. If you have paid Medicare tax, you are eligible to receive Medicare Part A free coverage. If you did not pay these taxes, but your spouse did, you are also eligible for free Part A benefits. If neither you nor your spouse paid Medicare tax, you are eligible to buy Part A if you are older than 65 years of age, enroll in Medicare Part B and are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.

    Medicare Part B

    • To be eligible to enroll in Medicare Part B (medical insurance), you must be older than 65 years of age or disabled. You can buy Medicare Part B without having Medicare Part A if you are a U.S. citizen, permanent resident or a legal noncitizen who has lived in the U.S. for more than five years. You are required to pay monthly premiums for Part B coverage, and if you have high levels of income, you must pay higher premiums. As of 2011, any income higher than $170,000 if you are married or $85,000 if you are single requires higher premiums.

    Medicare Part C

    • To be eligible to enroll in Medicare Part C, you are required to enroll in Medicare Part A and Part B and be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Medicare Part C offers additional coverage to Part A and Part B through private companies. Many Part C plans include prescription drug coverage. You cannot enroll in Part C if you only have Part B. If you never paid Medicare tax, but you are buying Medicare Part A and Part B, you are also eligible to enroll in Medicare Part C. As with Part B, you might be required to pay monthly premiums for the extra coverage Part C offers. Premiums do not increase with income.

    Medicare Part D

    • You are eligible to enroll in Medicare Part D if you have Medicare Part A or Part B. If you are not a citizen but you are eligible to buy Medicare Part B (having legally lived in the country for five years and being older than 65 years of age), you can also purchase Part D. As with Part B, you must also pay monthly premiums for Part D coverage, and these premiums might be higher depending on your income and as well as the plan you pick. You are only eligible to enroll in plans that provide coverage in your state and city.

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