Medicare for Greencard Holders

All You Need To Know

Medicare is an important program for many Americans, but it can be difficult to navigate. Anyone who has ever tried to enroll in Medicare knows that the process of filling out paperwork and filing taxes is no walk in the park. It’s also confusing trying to understand all of the different options available, like Part A, Part B, and Part D. If you’re a greencard holder looking into applying for Medicare for Greencard Holders, then you may have some questions about how this will work for you. We’ll answer your most pressing questions about Medicare coverage as a greencard holder!

The first thing you need to know is that you don’t have to wait for your greencard before applying for Medicare. You can apply as soon as you are eligible, which means age 65 or older, disabled, or receiving Social Security benefits. As long as you’re a legal permanent resident with an Alien Registration Number otherwise known as an A-Number , then you’re good to go!

The next thing we want to point out is that if you were on any kind of visa status other than H-B , such as B-Status or F-Status and then became disabled while in the U.S., then this will automatically qualify you for disability coverage under Medicare Part D . This also applies even if your spouse was not able to work due to their own disability.

The only time you have to worry about how long you’ve been in the U.S., is if your work visa status was H-B . If that’s the case, then this qualifies as a Special Enrollment Period and gives you 60 days after either leaving or losing your job to enroll in Medicare Part A , which covers hospital stays, hospice care, etc. But keep in mind that once you leave the country it will take at least two months before coverage starts! This is because of an international billing regulation known as Bilateral Agreements . Essentially what happens with these agreements between countries is that any charges coming from outside of their own country are refused by Medicare until they’re approved by another insurance company first.