Will be 65 in 2 weeks, became US resident in June 2016! married to a US citizen, one business and we in Venezuela since married here in the US in April 1982. Dual citizen (Venezuelan and European)
Wife became 63 this past March, but she had a bad accident 4 years ago and has not worked since. I am self employed, while trying to liquidate investments in Venezuela
I only have 18 quarters into Social Security and was told I can’t get Medicare.
I have heard some of your presentations and red your articles, you seem very knowledgeable and very decent professional, Can we get your help in finding our best strategy to retire in peace?
Thank you for all you are doing for us. Thank you.
Joseph

Hi Joseph. To potentially be eligible for Medicare you must either be a) a U.S. citizen, or b) a lawfully admitted permanent U.S. resident who has continuously resided in the U.S. for the 5 years immediately preceding the first month of Medicare eligibility (https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0200303800). So, if you became a U.S. resident in June 2016, you likely won't be eligible for Medicare at least until June 2021.

Since you don't yet have enough work credits to be insured for benefits, you may have to pay a monthly premium for both Parts A & B of Medicare. However, if your wife has at least 40 quarters of U.S. Social Security coverage then you should be able to get Part A of Medicare premium free. Furthermore, if your wife has enough work credits, it sounds like she may be able to qualify for Social Security disability (SSDI) benefits. For more information on SSDI, refer to the following Social Security website: https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/disability/qualify.html.

You can apply for Medicare up to 3 months in advance of your first month of eligibility, so it sounds like you may want to contact Social Security sometime soon to see about applying for Medicare.

Best, Jerry