Do You Lose Medicare When You Get Off Disability?

If you’re living with certain disabilities, you may become eligible for Medicare benefits before your 65th birthday. However, the question on everyone’s mind is whether or not you lose Medicare when you get off disability.
By
Lewis Mark
Published on
November 7, 2018
Updated on
January 22, 2024

Do you have Medicare disability coverage and are worried you may lose it? Well, you’re not alone. It’s all too common concern among the millions of Americans who are currently receiving Medicare disability benefits. While most people become eligible for Medicare when they turned 65 years old, there are is a certain population that meets eligibility requirements for Medicare based on their medical disability.

Medicare disability coverage refers to the health insurance program administered solely by the government. It applies to individuals who are eligible for it when their medical conditions qualify them, it is possible to lose the medical coverage after you recover from your Medicare disability. Knowing your eligibility may help you assess when the termination takes place. Various situations may help you keep it or lose it.

Who Determines Your Eligibility For Medicare Coverage?

If you’re curious as to who is in charge and responsible for your determining your Medicare eligibility based on your disability, it’s the Social Security Administration (SSA). They are solely responsible for determining the benefits you’ll receive from Medicare. The SSA utilizes various stipulated criteria to determine your eligibility. The 3 main criteria used to make a decision include:

  • Medical improvement possible
  • Medical improvement expected
  • Medical improvement not expected

The SSA conducts a review on your current medical condition using the various set measures. The assessment takes place from time to time so that they remain aware of your progress. One of the other things they evaluate is whether you can go back to work, and if the SSA determines you are capable of going back to work, they will do what they can to help in the process.

Individuals with diseases that are severe and long-term have uninterrupted Medicare disability benefits. The benefits can even go as far as retirement, last until death. Most time when you retire, you will receive the disability and Medicare disability coverage as retirement benefits.

Do You Still Have Access To Medicare Coverage When You Get Off Disability?

One of the things that you can lose when you get off disability is your Medicare benefits. Your Medicare disability coverage will, however, continue with some special circumstances keeping your benefits flowing. One of them is when through assessment, the SSA finds out that your condition has not improved.

When the SSA finds out that your condition is better than before, they may employ unique strategies to assist you to get back to work. One such program allows them to extend your benefits for some short time after returning to the job force. The grace period allows you enough time to get things in order. If after some time, you still have a medical disability, you have an option to purchase the disability and Medicare packages.

Does The Coverage End When You Get Off Disability?

Unfortunately, unless you are still ill from the qualifying illness, you will lose your coverage. You only stay on the cover when you are working but still sick. When the assesment reveals that you have fully recovered, you become ineligible. The enactment came about as a control measure. The policy discourages the SSA from misusing the taxpayer’s money.

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