No matter how much money you have, you're eligible for Medicare if:
- You're age 65 or older and eligible for Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefits; or
- You're 65 or older and married to someone eligible for Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefits; or
- You've been receiving Social Security disability benefits for at least 24 months; or
- You have End-Stage Renal Disease (kidney failure).
Citizens 65 or older who aren't eligible for Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefits and permanent legal residents who have lived in the U.S. for five or more years can also enroll in Medicare. People in these categories generally must pay Part A premiums.
Just before you turn 65 years old you have to decide whether or not to take Medicare Part B. If you choose to have Part B, the monthly premium is usually taken out of your monthly Social Security, Railroad Retirement, or Civil Service Retirement payment. If you don't get any of these payments, Medicare sends you a bill for your Part B premium every three months.
If you didn't take Medicare Part B when you were first eligible, you can sign up during two enrollment periods. The two enrollment periods are: The General Enrollment Period, which is from January 1 through March 31 of each year. During that time, you can sign up for Medicare Part A or Part B at your local Social Security office. Your Medicare Part B coverage will start on July 1 of that year.
Home Health Care:
Part A covers up to 100 home health care visits if you need care at home within 14 days after a hospital stay of at least three days. (Part B covers home health care if you don't meet the hospital stay requirement or if you need more than 100 visits.) To be eligible for the (Part A or Part B) home health benefits, you must meet all four of these conditions:
- You must be considered homebound. This means that you must have a condition due to illness or injury that makes it very hard to leave home.
- You must get care from a Medicare-certified home health agency.
- You must need the services of a skilled nurse or a speech, physical, or occupational therapist.
- Care must be needed only on an intermittent, not continuous, basis.
