Will I Receive Medicare If I Am on Social Security Disability?

If you are older than 65 years of age and you have paid your Medicare tax, you probably qualify to receive Medicare Part A benefits. (Part A pays for hospital costs.) If you have a disability, you can also qualify to receive benefits from Social Security Disability, a Social Security program that pays monthly benefits to people with a disability.

Social Security Disability

• You can receive Social Security Disability benefits if you have a long-term disability condition that inhibits your ability to work. To receive disability benefits, you must have paid Social Security tax for enough time to earn Social Security credits. As of 2011, a Social Security credit is equivalent to $1,120 of earned income per year. You can only accumulate a maximum of four Social Security credits per year, and you must have 40 credits to qualify for disability benefits. However, if you are young and you have a long-term disability condition, you can qualify with fewer credits.

Medicare and Social Security Disability

• Receiving Social Security Disability benefits does not disqualify you from enrolling in Medicare. If you receive disability benefits for long enough, you will be automatically enrolled in Medicare. As of 2011, after you have received Social Security Disability benefits for two years, you are automatically enrolled in Medicare. However, you must keep in mind that disability benefits do not start until your sixth month of disability. This means that you will be enrolled in Medicare after 30 months of having your disability.

Without Disability Benefits: Medicare After 65

• If your disability benefits end, you can still enroll in Medicare. This can happen in two different circumstances: if you are older than 65 years of age or if you are younger than 65. If you were receiving disability benefits and you returned to work, both your disability benefits and your Medicare coverage will end. However, as soon as you turn 65, you are again entitled to receive Medicare benefits. It does not matter whether or not you previously had disability benefits and Medicare; the only requirement is that you have paid Medicare tax.

Without Disability Benefits: Medicare Before 65

• If you were receiving disability benefits but they have ended because you returned to work, your free Medicare benefits will continue for up to eight and a half years after you have returned to work, provided you still have your condition. After this period, you will lose Medicare unless you are 65 years old. However, if you are younger than 65 years of age and you have a disability, you qualify to purchase Medicare Part A coverage. You can enroll in Medicare by showing proof of your condition, and you must pay monthly premiums.