Unfortunately, Medicare insurance coverage does not begin when you are awarded Social Security disability benefits. In fact, under current Social Security regulations, an individual, who is awarded SSD, must wait a twenty-four month waiting period before being covered by Medicare.
The only exception to this twenty four month waiting period involves individuals who have end stage renal disease that requires dialysis. Social Security end stage renal Medicare coverage has a two-month waiting period.
For the vast majority of SSD beneficiaries, Social Security offers no interim coverage. In fact, the official Social Security site advises disability beneficiaries to contact their former employers for some type of medical coverage. I am not sure what a former employer would offer anyone. If an individual is lucky they may have short or long term disability or an option to obtain cobra insurance coverage.
How does this medicare twenty-four month waiting period affect disability beneficiaries? If you have won your disability benefits at the initial claims level, you may have two or more years to wait for medical coverage through the Social Security Administration. However, if you were approved for SSD at the administrative law judge hearing, it is likely that you have already served this waiting period. If this is the case, you will receive your Medicare coverage as soon as your hearing decision is processed.
As you can see, the negative affect of the twenty-four month waiting period is felt more by individuals who receive their Social Security disability benefits at the initial level, unless they have been unemployable due to their disabling conditions for a long period of time.
