Senior Health Insurance

Many people who are under age 65 qualify for Medicare. Although parts of their situation may be different than that of a retired individual, many of the same plans are available to both groups.

The majority of people covered by Medicare are over the age of 65. However, many younger people qualify because of a major health condition or a disability.

Individuals who are deemed to be disabled by Social Security’s definition are automatically enrolled in Medicare. This, however, takes place after a wait of 24 months. You will need to receive Social Security disability benefits for two years before you will qualify for Medicare. Individuals receiving disability benefits from the Railroad Retirement Board may also qualify after 24 months.

Individuals with End Stage Renal Disease will generally qualify for Medicare once they start receiving disability benefits from the Social Security Administration. They will not have to wait 24 months. This is also the case with individuals with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. This condition is also known ALS and Lou Gehrig’s disease.

If a Medicare beneficiary under age 65 chooses Original Medicare, their Medicare benefits will be the same as they are for older beneficiaries. Original Medicare consists of Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B.

Medicare Part A pays primarily for hospital services. Medicare Part B pays primarily for doctors services. These benefits will not equal the cost of most services. For this reason many will choose to purchase a Medicare Supplement insurance policy or switch to Medicare Part C.

Some of the Medicare Supplemental policies will not be available to those under the age of 65. Insurers are mandated to make some of their policies available to disabled beneficiaries, but these are often the policies with the poorest benefits. They are usually priced higher than other senior health insurance policies with similar benefits.

Younger Medicare Beneficiaries will qualify for most Medicare Advantage policies. Medicare Advantage is also known as Medicare Part C. These policies are offered by private insurers and often offer benefits similar to a combination of Original Medicare plus a supplemental policy.

For this reason, disabled Medicare beneficiaries should investigate Medicare Advantage policies. Agents who sell Medicare Supplement policies will often also sell Medicare Advantage policies as well.