Can you qualify for Medicare if you are under 65 but disabled?

Yikes, the misinformation! Ok, if a person applies for Social Security based on disability and gets it, he qualifies for Medicare Parts A & B after two years from the date of disability. The person is automatically sent the Medicare care and the person's age is irrelevant. If a person is turned down for Social Security Disability they will often hire an attorney to handle the appeal of the decision. The attorney's fee is set by Social Security and cannot exceed 25% of the retroactive benefits awarded. The Medicare Part B costs money and typically us paid for by a monthly deduction from the Social Security check, currently $104.90. SSI is not the same as Social Security Disability. The disability part is the same but a person getting SSI has not qualified on the quarters worked part of the process. SSI is based on financial need, not based on what has been earned by working and accumulating quarters worked. This is why disabled children get SSI if their families are in financial need. If a person gets SSI, they should immediately apply for Medicaid as they will qualify. If a person has Medicare, that doesn't cover everything. That's why there is Medicare Part D, for Drugs. There is also Part C which is a variety of Medicare Advantage programs to choose from. If some has Medicare Part A only it is possible that they turned down Part B originally because of the cost. Most likely this was a big mistake because signing up late incurs a hefty oenalty

You need to be on SSI Disability to be able to be on Medicare before age 65. Not sure if your mother can switch over from regular early retirement to SSI Disability retirement.

You want to help them apply for Medicaid. Look up the area agency on aging in their local and get some assistance with this. I'm so sorry for your situation and theirs.

I feel for you. I'm currently trying to help a woman in my building. I gave her rides to church and for meals and found out her situation that way. She is under 65, on disability and is on medicare part a. So she was eligible for medicare in 2006 and has been on a slim coverage program(part a) since, but has no one to act as an advocate now. She has no coverage for prescriptions, no coverage for doctors visits, and she has many conditions that affect her physical and mental health. She has been ordering her medication that she was prescribed years ago for bone disease and numerous other conditions from an online pharmacy in canada. I created an account on mymedicare.gov but it's been difficult to find out how to enroll her in part b, part d, or whatever she needs without going out of her very limited budget.

I don't know the details of how it's done, but I know that my cousin applied for Disability due to arthritis in her late 50's. She received Disability and she got Medicare before she was 60. She had to get an attorney to get it.

This year, she was diagnosed with severe dementia and I applied her for Medicaid. She now gets that too.

Oops, didn't finish...penalty. All the other Medicare parts are supplemental plans you pay for to fill in the gaps of Medicare, therefore also called Medigap plans. It is also possible to be on Medicaid if you qualify financially. HavaH, you should take your friend to a Social Security office or sit on the phone with her at 1-800-772-1214 the Social Security office and get her situation explained. If she can't afford Part B on her own, get her on Medicaid through your state welfare office. She probably may also qualify for food stamps.