Ask Larry

How Much Would I Have To Pay For Medicare Coverage?

I'm older then my husband and am short 6 quarters.
My understanding is if I do not get these's completed by 65 I'll have to pay for
pay for my medicare. This is something i just found out. My
neighbor went thru this and is paying a penalty and a life time penalty for p
part B. If I wanted to pay for my Medicare in sted of returning to work
what would be my premium?

Hi,

The standard premium rate for Part A of Medicare for people who have between 30 and 39 quarters of Social Security coverage (QC) is currently $232 per month. Your Part B premium rate would be the same regardless of how many QCs you have and the standard rate is currently $134 per month (https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Training/CMSNationalTrainingP...). People with higher incomes may have to pay more than the standard rates, though, as explained in the link above.

However, depending on how much older you are than your husband you may not need to worry about paying for Part A coverage. If your husband is insured for Social Security benefits (i.e. has at least 40 QCs) and he's at least age 62 when you reach age 65, you can enroll in premium free Part A of Medicare based on his work record. That would be true even if he's still working and hasn't yet filed for Social Security benefits (https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0600801008).

Best, Jerry

Category: 
Posted: 
May 22 2018 - 11:58am
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