Sorry for my earlier wrong answer, I was not aware there was a age minimum for the qualifying spouse. Learned something new today.
Sorry for my earlier wrong answer, I was not aware there was a age minimum for the qualifying spouse. Learned something new today.
It's one question with two answers..the spouse is eligible for Part A but not free Part A until main spouse turns turns 62 confusion abounds
Thanks for that advice, I tried to get an appointment at the local office here in Springfield MO but they are not open for in-person visits. I;m pretty good about figuring things out for myself but in this case there just doesn't seem to be enough information online to know the best/right way to get it done. In the end I thing she stays on my ACA plan until I'm 62 then waits for the general enrolment period applies and gets Part A. For Part B I think we will pay for that when she is first available at 65 so we don't have penalties forever. Even if we end up with penalties for the Part A they will be a lot less than the 6k in Part A premiums we would need to pay....Thanks for all the responses!
Yes I read that too, I'm sure my income is above that limit and I'm in a very red state so that isn't going to happen here
I'm not sure I know what that is? But if I could visit with them and they could tell me what the best options are for our situation we would appreciate any help
I got that part, now. I wasn’t aware the non-working spouse has to wait until the working spouse reached age 62 for full, normal eligibility. My spouse also did not pay into SS and is older than me, but the age difference is not that great. We still had to go in person to a SS office to enroll her in Medicare and bring lots of documents.
If an in-person office visit is viable for the OP that’s what I would suggest. My limited experience with SS and Medicare, 3 office visits and the same number of phone calls, tells me the office workers are better informed.
No it is age. I had 40 quarters long before I retired at 55. My wife doesn't qualify for premium free medicare until I turn 62 no matter how many credits I have
Quarters, points and credits are the same thing just different ways to say it.
OK. But you had said you didn't have enough points until you turned 62 and that was confusing to me. I did learn something today from this thread that there is an age limitation as well.
Yes, as long as you qualify for Medicare coverage (even not old enough yet, your spouse is eligible for Medicare without having to pay Part A. This is because even if she does not have the credits to qualify for free Part A, you do,
BUT if she is covered by your healthcare plan at work, she may be eligible to delay signing up for parts B&D (and other supplemental plans) until no longer covered (and COBRA does not count). Or you could talk to your HR and you may get a benefit if she moves to Medicare instead of the company policy.
One thing to look out for is that Medicare has a co-pay - and there is not cap. So a major illness or injury can devastate your finances.