Skip to Main Content
chevron-right
chevron-left
chevron-down
chevron-up
chevron-circle-up
chevron-circle-right
chevron-circle-down
chevron-circle-left
Facebook Logo
Twitter Logo
Linkedin Logo
Youtube Logo
Instagram Logo
Google Plus Logo
Vimeo Logo
Issuu Logo
Right arrow
Left arrow
Location
Search
Phone Icon
Services
Home Care
Senior Care
Home Nursing Services
At Home Therapies
Respite Care
Home Care FAQ
Hospice
Bereavement & Grief
Hospice & Alzheimers
Hospice Costs
Hospice Pet Therapy
Special Care Programs
Your Care Team
Specialized Home Care
Patient-Centered Dementia Care
Arthritis
Congestive Heart Failure
Huntington’s Disease
Hypertension / Blood Pressure
Coronary Artery Disease
Diabetes
COPD
Joint Replacement
Mental Health and Depression
Home Care Support for Multiple Sclerosis
Palliative Care
Paraplegia and Quadriplegia
Parkinson's Disease
Pediatric Care
Traumatic Brain Injury
Ventilator Care
Wound Care
Veterans Care
Staffing
Staffing FAQ
COVID-19 Vaccination Staffing
Careers
About Us
COVID-19 Update
Our Standard of Care
Our History
Franchise Leader
Executive Team
Caring Brands International
Press Releases
Honoring Veterans
Historic Milestones
Contact Us
Education Center
Aging in Place
Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Home Health Aide
8 Dietary Tips for Improving Senior Heart Health
Talking About Substance Abuse as a Caregiver
How to Take Care of Aging Hair
4 Ways to Improve Indoor Air Quality for Seniors
Designing Outdoor Living Areas for Seniors
Getting A Grip: How and Where to Install Bathroom Grab Bars
Keeping Active: Tips for Senior Gardening
Alzheimer's and Dementia
Calculating the Cost
Certified Senior Advisors
Consumer Health Care Education
Advisor Care Giving Guide
Care in a Residential Facility
Check Your Home Care IQ
Elder Care Communities
Consumer Alert
Medicare and Home Care
Senior Care Resources
Senior Care Scams
Consumer Rights
Signs That Care At Home is Needed
Long Term Care
Fall Prevention
Mobility in Seniors
Falls FAQ's
Home Safety Checklist
Home Safety Tips
Hidden Hazards
Medications and Fall Risk
Reduce the Risk of Falling
Risk of Falling
Visiting the Doctor and Discussing Falls
What to Do If Someone Falls
Family Caregiving
Elder Care Videos
Hiring Your Own Caregivers
Family Care Giving Facts
Information for Seniors
Long Distance Caregiving
Starting the Conversation
The Stress of Family Caregiving
Taking Care Of Yourself as a Family Caregiver
Home Care Technology
Hospice Fact or Myth
In-Home Caregivers
Senior Health
Exercise and Older Adults
Senior Nutrition
Taking Medications
Tips for Lowering Blood Pressure
Seniors and Zika Virus
Savvy Senior
Stories From Home
Transitioning from a Facility
Independent Living Assessment
Blog
Facebook
Linkedin
Twitter
Youtube
Instagram
Home
>
Education Center
>
August 2016
>
Medicare Coverage for Non-Working Spouses
Medicare Coverage for Non-Working Spouses
Posted: 8/11/2016 12:40 PM by
Interim HealthCare
Dear Savvy Senior,
Does Medicare cover spouses who have not worked? I have worked all my life, but my spouse worked only for a few years when we first got married but then quit to take care of our children fulltime. Will she be eligible for Medicare?
Inquiring Husband
Dear Inquiring,
There are plenty of couples in your situation when it comes to applying for Medicare. The answer generally is yes, your spouse can qualify for Medicare on your work record. Here’s how it works.
Eligibility Rules
Medicare, the government health insurance program for older adults, covers more than 55 million Americans age 65 and older, as well as those younger that have a qualifying disability or have End-Stage Renal Disease.
To be eligible, you must have worked and paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years to qualify for premium-free Medicare Part A hospital coverage when you turn 65. If you qualify, then your non-working spouse will qualify too, based on your work record when she turns 65.
Divorced spouses are also eligible if they were married at least 10 years and are single, as are surviving spouses who are single and who were married for at least nine months before their spouse died.
In addition to Part A, both you and your spouse would also qualify for Medicare Part B, which covers doctor’s visits and other outpatient services, but requires a monthly premium, not a work history. The premium for most Part B beneficiaries in 2016 is $104.90 per month, while new beneficiaries pay $121.80/month and higher earning couples – those with incomes over $170,000 per year – pay even more.
There are also a number of other caveats you should know about depending on your wife’s age.
Older Spouse
If your wife is older than you, she can qualify for Medicare on your work record at age 65, even if you’re not getting Medicare yourself, but you must be at least 62 years old. You also must have been married for at least one year for your wife to apply for Medicare on your work record.
If you are still working and your wife is covered by your employer’s health insurance, she may want to enroll only in the premium-free Medicare Part A until you retire or your employer coverage ends. Part B – along with its premium – can be added later without penalty as long as your employer’s group health plan is your “primary coverage.” Check with your employers’ human resources department to find out about this.
If your wife is more than three years older than you and has no health coverage, you can buy her Medicare Part A until you turn 62 and the premium-free benefit kicks in. The Part A monthly premium is $411 in 2016.
Younger Spouse
If your wife is younger than you, she will need health insurance until she turns 65 and becomes eligible for Medicare. This may be through your employer if you are still working, through COBRA (see
dol.gov/ebsa/publications/cobraemployee.html
), or through the Health Insurance Marketplace (see
healthcare.gov
) or outside the marketplace through a private insurance company.
Other Medicare Options
In addition to Medicare Part A and B, when you and your wife become Medicare eligible, each of you will also need to enroll in a Part D prescription drug plan if you don’t have credible drug coverage from your employer or union. And, you may want to purchase a Medicare supplemental (Medigap) policy too, to help pay for things that aren’t covered by Medicare like copayments, coinsurance and deductibles. Or, you may want to consider an all-in-one Medicare Advantage plan.
For more information on Medicare choices and enrollment rules visit
https://www.medicare.gov/
or call 800-633-4227. You can also get help through your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (see
shiptacenter.org
), which provides free Medicare counseling.