How to Qualify for Medicare and Medicaid

If you’re disabled and qualify for Disability Insurance Benefits, sometimes called Title II, you are also eligible for Medicare on the 30th full month after the onset of your disability. This means if you were found to have become disable on Jan. 15, 2013, for example, take out the first five full months (Feb. through June), then add two years. In this instance, you would be eligible for Medicare starting in July 2015.

If you qualify for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), sometimes called Title XVI, you are eligible for Medicaid retroactively.

SSI eligibility is based on a lack of resources and income. Disability insurance eligibility arises from you history of having worked in jobs that had payroll withholding taxes.

You pay a premium for Medicare, but not for Medicaid. Medicaid covers a broader range of services without a premium, such as prescriptions. However, Medicaid reimburses doctors at a much lower rate than Medicare so it’s much harder to find providers who accept Medicaid.

You won’t qualify for either program while you’re waiting to have you claim decide. However, once your claim is approved, your coverage will be applied retroactively.

If you have questions about how disability benefits affect your Medicare or Medicaid coverage, give the attorneys at Don Pilzer Law a call today.