Do the elderly poor remain on Medicaid if they never paid enough into SS to be eligible for SS and Medicare, or do they just move to Medicare no matter their work history?
I'd never thought of that, but it might be a significant factor in how many are on Medicaid in some areas.
“Do the elderly poor remain on Medicaid if they never paid enough into SS to be eligible for SS and Medicare, or do they just move to Medicare no matter their work history?”
Someone who does not qualify for Medicare can voluntarily enroll in Part A or Part B by paying the requisite premium amounts for each (for Medicare eligibles, Part A is free). Medicaid pays Part A premiums for some of its elderly/disabled beneficiaries, but this is restricted to individuals who qualify for Part A, which generally requires being eligible for SS, which in turn is based on work history. So I believe there’s a subset of Medicaid eligibles who are elderly but not dual-eligible. Most such elderly are dual-eligible, meaning Medicaid pays their Medicare premiums and cost-sharing etc.