Basic Principles of Medicare Qualifications

Medicare is a health insurance program sponsored by the U.S. government for people age 65 or older or for any aged individuals who are disabled. Medicare actually consists of two parts: Part A (hospital coverage) and Part B (medical insurance). Individuals must meet different requirements to qualify for assistance in each part. But there are a few basic requirements that must be met to qualify for Medicare in general.

Prior employment

• Money secured from the nation's employed helps fund the Medicare program. Therefore, to qualify for Medicare, a person or the person's spouse must have been employed and had payments deducted from a paycheck into the Medicare program for at least 10 years.

U.S. citizenship

• Medicare is a federal program and the nation's largest health insurance program. Only individuals who are permanent residents or United States citizens can apply for the Medicare program. However, non-Americans who earned U.S. citizenship at least five years prior to applying for Medicare are also eligible for benefits.

Senior citizens

• Any person is eligible for Medicare if he is 65 years old or older. Medicare benefits do not begin until a person is 65, unless a person can prove disability.

Disabled

• People who are not yet 65 can still qualify for Medicare if they can prove a disability that prevents them from working or if they have end-stage renal disease, also known as permanent kidney failure requiring dialysis or a transplant. While all types of disabilities qualified are not clearly stated on the Medicare website, individuals receiving Social Security disability (SSD) payments typically qualify for Medicare.