I am a widow age 61 collecting survivors benefits. Do I qualify for health insurance.

Hi,

Assuming that by health insurance you're referring to Medicare, then no, you wouldn't qualify for Medicare prior to age 65 unless you're disabled. Social Security would automatically enroll you in Medicare when you reach age 65, but you may be able to qualify for Medicare prior to that if you meet Social Security's definition of being disabled. Widow's who are between 60 and 65 years old don't need to be disabled in order to qualify for regular widow's benefits, but they do need to be disabled in order to qualify for Medicare prior to age 65. If you are disabled, you should probably consider contacting Social Security to see about filing for deemed entitlement to disabled widow's benefits for the purpose of qualifying for early Medicare coverage.

Best, Jerry