Social Security Disability and SSI – will I get Medicare or Medicaid?

One of the major benefits of winning your disability claim is that health care coverage comes with the disability package.

But is it Medicare or Medicaid?

For Social Security Disability Insurance, it’s Medicare.  Medicare is the earned-benefit program for Americans aged 65 or older, or disabled. Workers pay into Medicare throughout their working years. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is the agency in charge of both Medicare and Medicaid, but you sign up for Medicare A (Hospital) and Medicare B (Medical) through Social Security.

For SSI, it’s Medicaid. Each state runs its own Medicaid program under guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Medicaid offers care for the most vulnerable among us. While it does not require paying taxes while working, it does have guidelines about how much income and resources you can have to qualify. Medicaid provides coverage for older people, people with disabilities, and some families with children. Each state has its own eligibility rules and decides which services to cover. The names of the Medicaid program may vary from state to state. You can read about each state’s Medicaid program at www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/by-state/by-state.html.

Medicare and Medicaid are two of the major insurance programs that provide healthcare to the disabled American public. Understanding each program, as well as how the two programs differ, can help you and those you care about find the right healthcare program.