If you don’t have at least 40 quarters (about 10 years of work) paid into the Medicare system, you aren’t eligible for premium-free Medicare Part A. That means Part A is very expensive when you have limited or no work history. In 2024, Part A can be as high as $505/mo!! Medicare Costs
However, you can enroll in premium-free Part A under your spouse’s work history if he or she has the necessary 40 quarters of Medicare earnings required, is at least age 62, and you have been married at least 1 year. This is also available under an ex-spouse’s record if you were married at least 10 years.
NOTE: Your spouse does NOT have to be receiving Social Security retirement benefits for this to work. Also, you can apply on an ex-spouse’s work record if you were married at least 10 years.
The easier route is to enroll on your own work record, assuming you have enough work history. You can verify whether you have enough quarters by logging in to your My Social Security account and pulling up your Social Security Benefit Statement. On the statement you’ll see whether you have enough Medicare quarters. If you do, you can enroll through your own work record online at www.ssa.gov.
But when you don’t have enough quarters and need to enroll through your spouse’s work history, there’s really only two ways to enroll…by phone or in-person at SSA.
Enroll By Phone or in-Person
Contact Social Security to schedule a phone or in-person appointment for this enrollment. You can call the main line at 800-772-1213 or a local Social Security office to schedule (Social Security office locator). We recommend initiating the request 4 months prior to your planned start date. These appointments are typically booked weeks, if not months, in advance…so get started early.
Whether you do this by phone or in-person, you certainly can have your spouse with you…but it’s not required. Simply follow the SSA representative’s lead. They will ask all the confirmation questions and take down your information for the application. And in some cases, you will need to provide supporting documentation, such as:
Copy of your marriage certificate — This isn’t always required, but be prepared for this possibility.
Form CMS-40B (Application for Medicare Part B) — This is required when also enrolling in Part B at the same time as Part A.
Form CMS-L564 (Request for Employment Information) — This is only required when also enrolling in Medicare Part B after your Initial Enrollment Period has ended and you’re leaving an employer health insurance plan, based on your active employment or your spouse’s active employment. The forms can be accessed HERE. If you’re only enrolling in Part A, you DO NOT need Form 40B or Form L564.
If you need to send any documents, the SSA rep will ask you to either mail or fax them. After that, it’s usually a 3-6 week timeframe for processing. You will receive confirmation of the enrollment being complete by US mail.
Reference Links
Medicare.gov
Medicare Part A Premium
SSA.gov/forms
Medicare Enrollment Periods
Neither Medicare Mindset LLC nor its agents are affiliated with the Federal Medicare program.
