If an individual is receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability, they are not qualified to receive Medicare insurance coverage until they reach the age of sixty-five years old. SSI is a disability program that is based on need rather than insured status. Consequently, SSI beneficiaries are not entitled to receive Medicare benefits based upon disability, because they are not insured for Medicare.
However, SSI recipients can receive Medicare based upon age at age 65. How? By filing an uninsured Medicare claim. The SSI program requires SSI beneficiaries to file uninsured Medicare claims, so that some of the Medicaid burden will be taken off of States. It is actually cheaper for states to pay the Medicare premiums for their Medicaid recipients, so that Medicare will become a primary payer and Medicaid will become a secondary payer.
What if you are a person that receives both SSI and social security disability? If an individual is dually entitled to both SSI and Social Security disability, they may receive Medicare benefits two years from their entitlement to monthly Social Security disability benefits just the same as Social Security disability beneficiaries who do not have concurrent claims, i.e. receive no SSI disability benefits).
However, individuals who are entitled to both SSI and SSD receive Medicaid along with their Medicare insurance. Individuals who have a Social Security disability benefit check that is too high for SSI disability entitlement still may receive help from their states in paying for Medicare premiums. These individual's should check with their local Social Service Offices to determine if they might be entitled to help for paying their Medicare premiums.
To come to the point, SSI disability beneficiaries are not required to pay Medicare insurance premiums because their individual states pay their premiums. It is more cost effective for states to pay Medicare premiums than to continue paying for all of their medical expenses through Medicaid.
