I AM 66 AND DRAWING SOCIAL SECURITY AND ON MEDICARE A&B. My spouse is turning 65 next month. She still works but will only have 36 Quarters of work credit by the end of the year-2017. May she apply now to obtain Medicare on my account? I was told she would also have to apply for Social Security benefits under my account in order to get the Medicare. Is this true? Last, if she gets medicare now under my account will she be able to collect Social Security under her own account in 2018 when she has 40 Quarters of credit herself? Thanks

Hi,

Yes, your wife can get Medicare coverage on your record starting at age 65. And no, she is not required to also file for Social Security benefits when she applies for Medicare.

If your wife starts out getting Medicare coverage on your record, she could still apply for retirement benefits on her own record if she later gets her 40 quarters of coverage. Her Medicare coverage would also switch to her own record in that event, but the coverage wouldn't change.

You may want to run the maximization software available on this website in order to explore all of your wife's options with regard to filing for retirement and spousal benefits.

Best, Jerry