Can I get Medicare at 62?

Can I get Medicare at 62?

Not because of your age alone. Medicare is health insurance for people 65 or older who meet citizenship or residency requirements, and Medicare.gov says you may be eligible to get Medicare earlier if you have a disability, End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), or ALS (also called Lou Gehrig's disease).

To get Part A and Part B benefits or join a Medicare health or drug plan, you must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. national, a lawful permanent resident (green card holder), a Cuban-Haitian entrant, or lawfully living in the U.S. as a Compact of Free Association (COFA) migrant. See Who is eligible for Medicare? for the full rules.

Can I get Medicare at 62 if I have a disability?

Yes, after 24 months of disability benefits. If you're under 65 and have a disability, you get Part A and Part B automatically after getting 24 months of disability benefits, either from Social Security or certain disability benefits from the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB). If you have ALS, you get Part A and Part B automatically the month your Social Security disability benefits begin.

Your red, white and blue Medicare card comes in the mail 3 months before your 25th month of disability benefits. If you don't sign up for Part B when you first get Medicare, you may have to wait to sign up, go months without coverage and pay a monthly penalty until you turn 65. You might be able to buy a Medigap policy, but not all states offer Medigap policies to people under 65. More in How do I get Medicare if I'm under 65 and have a disability?.

Can I get Medicare before 65 if I have kidney failure?

Yes. If you have End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), permanent kidney failure that requires a regular course of dialysis or a kidney transplant, you can get Medicare no matter how old you are if all of these apply:

• Your kidneys no longer work.
• You need regular dialysis or have had a kidney transplant.
• One of these applies to you: you've worked the required amount of time under Social Security, the Railroad Retirement Board or as a government employee; you're already getting or are eligible for Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefits; or you're the spouse or dependent child of a person who meets either of those requirements.
• You have to sign up: Medicare based on ESRD isn't automatic. If you're on dialysis, coverage usually starts on the first day of the fourth month of your dialysis treatments. See How does Medicare work if I have kidney failure (ESRD)?.

Does taking Social Security at 62 start Medicare?

No, not at 62, but it makes your Medicare enrollment automatic when you turn 65. If you get retirement benefits from Social Security (or the Railroad Retirement Board) at least 4 months before you turn 65, you'll get Part A and Part B automatically when you turn 65, and Medicare mails you a welcome package with your Medicare card 3 months before your coverage starts. If your birthday is on the first day of the month, Part A and Part B start the first day of the prior month.

Because you pay a monthly premium for Part B, you can choose whether to keep it. If you live in Puerto Rico, you don't get Part B automatically and must sign up for it. If you aren't taking retirement benefits when you turn 65, you'll need to sign up for Medicare yourself; see Do I need to sign up for Social Security to get Medicare?.

What health coverage can I get between 62 and 65?

HealthCare.gov says that if you retire before 65 and lose your job-based health plan when you do, you can use the Health Insurance Marketplace to buy a plan. Losing job-based coverage qualifies you for a Special Enrollment Period, so you can enroll outside the annual Open Enrollment Period, any time from 60 days before to 60 days after your separation date. Your Marketplace application tells you whether you qualify for premium tax credits and lower out-of-pocket costs, based on your income and household size, and whether you qualify for free or low-cost coverage through Medicaid in your state.

If you're enrolled in retiree coverage, you can't get premium tax credits for a Marketplace plan, and dropping retiree coverage voluntarily doesn't give you a Special Enrollment Period. When you turn 65, you can keep a Marketplace plan until Medicare begins, but Marketplace coverage doesn't end automatically when Medicare starts, so you update your Marketplace application to end it.