I assume everybody knows that disabled people can get on Medicare before age 65?

[eridani]

Does that really differ too much from those who would be in a high risk insurance pool? No? Then wny bother with nonsense about an outrageously expensive and subsidized separate plan? Just allow them into Medicare.

[Liberty Belle]

1. What does it take to qualify as disabled?

A friend is losing eyesight in one eye and has severe back/abdominal pain. He is afraid of cancer but has no insurance and can't afford tests. Would appreciate any details on how to get a disability designation.

[charlyvi]

2. File an application.

Call Social Security, or do it online. However, Medicare doesn't take effect until the 25th month of eligibility to the benefit. Check out the disability publication on SSA's website. www.ssa.gov

[kickysnana]

12. The current average wait time to be approved is about 4 years.

How naive grasshopper.

They are about 2 years behind in screening applications and then you are almost always denied the first time. It takes a least one more year for the appeal and then 1 to 2 years for a court hearing. If you are bad enough to need SSDI you are not working, you are not considered disabled and are only eligible for food stamps and catastrophic Medicare. Who did you think all those homeless people are?

[eShirl]

6. You have to go to the local Social Security office and apply

and almost everyone is rejected the first time, so you apply again, and keep applying until it gets approved. They are hoping people get discouraged and give up, so don't.
The sooner you start the process the better.

When you finally get approved, you get a lump sum SS payment backdated to the date you first applied or 1 year, whichever amount of time is shorter. (edit: at least that's how the rules were 13 years ago)

and, you automatically get Medicare

[charlyvi]

9. You don't have to go in the office.

You can do it over the phone, or online.

[eShirl]

10. ok, virtually go then

[Obamanaut]

11. When you start your paperwork process, have all of your doctor

and medical info at your fingertips. You will need it. They want to know everything about whom you saw when and why.

[Hepburn]

17. Condition has to impair the person from basically working in ANY occupation...

...and it has to be at permanent, which means a duration of at least one year. Not sure on the year ~~ it may be six months. It's early in the AM on the West Coast and I am having a Senior Moment. If not "permanent," it must meet the criteria for terminal. Those are the basics.

Here is the best advise I can give: Do NOT merely go in on the physical aspects. Very debilitating illnesses usually have psychological side effects ~~ panic attacks, anxiety, depression which often result in agrophobic conditions. A combination of bad illness/injury and resulting psychological impairment often do the job to get on SS disabiity.

I have helped a few people in the past get SSI and the difference I see in the medical doctors, treaters from the SS Dept that evaluate the applicant are that MDs like orthopedic doctors, etc., see any lasting illness they cannot treat as a failure and tend to find some way the applicant can do something ~~ even if he/she is paralyzed from the neck down. Now the "shrink" evaluators see mental problems and problems which result from illness and injury in a totally different light and they tend to be more sympathetic and approve the claim. That in some ways allows the medical ones to "blame" the disability on something they cannot cure, the mental problems which result. If you look at the stats, one of the highest areas of approval on the first application involved persons who suffer from panic attacks and anxiety attacks, and/or chronic depression.

I know that sounds odd ~~ but pitching it to flow more heavily on the mental side than the physical ~~ that usually has worked for me in aiding applicants to get approved on the first try. I can say this much: When I have laid out the plan for someone to do as I have described, I have never had a first time applicant be denied.

Best of luck...:hi:

[Mimosa]

3. What about those who had jobs which didn't pay for Social Security? n/t

[charlyvi]

5. Only Social Security wages will be considered to qualify for a benefit,

But, if you've paid Medicare taxes (Medicare qualified government employment) you could qualify for Medicare if disabled

[eridani]

7. If SSDI would cover them, then Medicare would

Don't know about the former, though. Just on general principles, Medicare would be a far more efficient way to meet these people's needs.

[proud patriot]

4. it's different for minors

my son was denied.. because my husband and I own vehicles that total value exceeds
5,000 dollars ... A bunch of bullshit if you ask me .

[charlyvi]

8. That's not Social Security, it's SSI.

They're different programs.

[tavalon]

14. Ours was too but then his biomom was designated disabled and

now they are sending money to us once a month. Weird.

[Edith Ann]

13. Medicare and Underage disability

Disabled people can get Medicare under age 65, but the for profit insurance companies often won't sell them a supplement to Medicare to help with the 20% Medicare doesn't pay. I'm a Social Worker in a dialysis unit. These companies don't want underage disabled and a dialysis patient can't by a Medicare Advantage Program. We need to do away with these Advantage programs anyway, they only provide big paydays for the insurance companies who get paid whither they spend money on the patient or not. This is the privatization of Medicare. Doing away with these programs of free money to insurance companies would help pay for a Public Option or Medicare for all.

[eridani]

15. Excellent point. I'll file that for future reference. Thanks. n/t

[Vinca]

16. Allowing the high risk people into Medicare immediately makes sense,

but what makes even more sense is allowing everyone into Medicare immediately to raise cash and dilute the risk pool. Big insurance seems to be getting its wish that the government will, eventually, be covering all the people who have been cherry picked out and the insurance companies can go about their business insuring healthy 20 year olds who will be mandated to pony up the cash.

[Festivito]

18. For this benefit, the rich won't pay their share.

Medicare does take care of people who cannot work. But, who pays for that safety net? Not the rich, those making over 100K/year. They enjoy the benefit of having these people covered, but do not share their higher earnings for that benefit.