You must garner approximately 40 “credits” or “quarters” through contributing to Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes during your employment—which typically corresponds to around a decade of labor—to be entitled to Part A benefits without the necessity of premium payments. Your payroll contributions have effectively prepaid these premiums.
Lacking the requisite employment duration to “be eligible” indicates that you won’t be able to access benefits for Medicare Part A (hospital insurance) without shouldering the cost of premiums.
Nonetheless, there is a route to be eligible for Part A services without premiums if you lack sufficient credits, drawing upon your partner’s employment record. This is applicable if you have reached the age of 65 or older, and your spouse is at least 62. In certain scenarios, the employment record of a deceased or formally separated spouse may also afford you eligibility.
Here is how to ascertain your qualification status.
You are eligible for comprehensive Medicare benefits if:
- You have reached the age of 65 or surpass it.
- You hold U.S. citizenship or permanent legal resident status and have resided in the United States for a minimum of five years and…
- You are currently obtaining Social Security or railroad retirement benefits, or you have worked enough years to qualify for those benefits even though you are not yet in receipt of them.
- You or your spouse is an employee or retiree of the government who did not contribute to Social Security but has remitted Medicare payroll taxes whilst employed.
