Medicare Under 65

Medicare is a possibility if you are under 65. But it requires meeting certain criteria before it can happen. The process can take awhile, as there are many hoops to go through before you can obtain a policy when you’re not 65 yet.

Interested in learning more?

Who can get it?

Traditionally, Medicare is exclusive to seniors ages 65 and older, and it is marketed as such. But there is one way you can get Medicare if you are not 65.

If you are receiving disability benefits from Social Security for at least 24 months, you can get Medicare.

What are the steps needed?

If you have a disability and have not gotten Social Security benefits yet, you will have to follow a series of steps before you can be approved for Social Security benefits. Getting disability is a long process.

In order to be recognized as disabled:

Your condition has to be so severe that it drastically reduces your ability to work
More specifically, your condition hinders you from adequately remembering, lifting, walking, or sitting
These performance deficiencies have to last for at least 12 months
Your condition has to prevent you from being able to do any job you’ve held in the past
You must also not be able to do any kind of other work
If your condition isn’t on the Social Security list of disabling conditions, the Social Security office will review the particulars of your condition and determine if it truly prevents you from being able to perform work-related tasks

That’s just for your condition itself. There is a work history component that goes along with this. You must have earned a certain amount of tax credits and how recently you earned those credits are also taken into account. In 2021, one tax credit is equal to $1,470 of earned income. Credits are counted from the time you started working to when you became disabled.

There are different tax credit requirements for different ages:

Under 24 – Six credits during the three-year span leading up to when you became disabled
24 to 31 – Based on the credits you would get for working half of the time between when you were 21 and when you became disabled. If you become disabled at 25, for instance, you take the four years it’s been since you were 21 and divide in half. Then multiply that by the four tax credits you’ll need per year. You would take the two years, multiply by four, and you would need a total of eight tax credits.

What can be done?

Once you’ve been receiving disability income, you automatically become enrolled in Medicare after you have been receiving benefits for 24 months. You do not have to enroll yourself, and you do not have to worry about any late enrollment penalties.

With this, you get Medicare Parts A and B. That’s coverage for when you’re in the hospital, and the treatments you get outside of it at clinics or doctors’ offices.

You may also get further financial assistance from Medicaid, which can bring your healthcare costs to an even lower amount.

How do I pay?

Your Medicare premiums will be deducted from your Social Security check, so you will not have to pay that on your own.

For more information

When you’re on disability, chances are you will need frequent medical treatments. At Medicare With Jake, we provide assistance by informing you about how to pay less for medical treatments by what Medicare gives you, from our place in Wichita, Kansas to you.