Exact Answer: 7 Months
During the lifetime of a person, he or she passes through several phases. Starting from when they were infant to childhood, then teenager, then an adult and at last old age. They experience a lot of things while growing and come to a better understanding of the world. After completing their studies, they look for jobs. Some of them may change jobs while others may remain at it till their age of retirement.
Few things may differ from person to person but one thing remains the same. After retirement, everyone applies for medicare. There are different phases of medicare. One can apply for all of them while some only apply to the policy of their liking. It is after 7 months of retirement that people apply for medicare.
How Long After Age 65 To Apply For Medicare?
| Type | Time |
| Medicare After 65 | 7 Months |
| Medicare Before 65 | > 7 Months |
As mentioned above, most people apply for medicare after 7 months of their retirement. A person can apply for medicare within 7 months, she or he can also apply before that period. The 7 month time is natural because during that time person receives a pension and saves it for medicare and completes the paperwork to finally go along with the project.
Medicare means a health insurance program that is run by the government which sponsors services regarding healthcare. A person who needs to be above 65 years of age, or suffering from a certain disease can apply for medicare. Sometimes young people can also apply for medicare but to do so they need to fulfill certain criteria. Medicare A, B, C, and D are four different types of Medicare policies available in the market.
Medicare A helps in covering the hospital charges. Admission fees, home-based healthcare, or fees for nursing facilities are all covered by Medicare A. But one thing about Medicare A is that it does not cover the long-term costs of the hospital. Medicare B helps in covering the medical bills for a person who has applied for medicare. Cost of ambulances, doctor visits, some equipment related to medicine, and mental health coverage.
Medicare C is like a lesser version of Medicare A and Medicare B and can be purchased through private insurers and not the government. It is also known as Medical Advantage. Medicare D helps to get Medicare prescription drug coverage. It does that with the Original Medicare.
Why Does It Take Long To Apply For Medicare After Age 65?
Medicare helps a person to stay insured and feel secured during a medical crisis. It covers the bills and other things related to the hospital and healthcare. For this to happen a little bit of time is required. The government will not pay the bills with its funds. So the person who is applying for medicare needs to deposit money little by little every month. They have several policies and should be checked thoroughly before applying.
People can approach private insurers or government agents for medicare. Some people may take voluntary retirement due to certain reasons. They can also apply for medicare but first, they need to fulfill a few criteria. Medicare is funded by the U.S government and only those people can apply who do not have any prior health insurance. As mentioned above people below 65 can also apply for Medicare.
People below 65 can apply for medicare only if they receive SSDI or Social Security Disability Insurance. In the case of SSDI, the wait to apply for medicare is much longer than after age 65. It is 24 months after the first checkup, which is received by the person. On the other hand, the 7 month time is completely normal and gives time to the person to settle down. It may be a bit long, but in the long run, it is beneficial.
Conclusion
The funds that are received through Medicare are not completely government funds. The amount deposited during medicare is also included in that. It should be not be used roughly or the person may not have much left during more serious moments. A lot of people confuse Medicare with Medicaid. They are completely different from each other even though both of them are funded by the government.
While Medicare is for people above 65 years or younger people with certain conditions, Medicaid provides health services to people who are in the lower-income group. People with Medicaid can get a lot of benefits and some states extend it to prescription drug coverage also.
References
- https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199609123351106
- https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/abs/10.1377/hlthaff.20.4.188