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Yes, you can receive kidney-care benefits if you’re 65 or older and enrolled in Medicare. You also may be eligible for Medicare coverage before age 65 based on your kidney condition if you, your spouse or your parent (for dependent children) has earned enough work credits.
For Medicare purposes, permanent kidney failure is known as chronic kidney disease stage 5, or end-stage renal disease (ESRD). It means your kidneys have stopped working properly and you need regular dialysis or a kidney transplant to stay alive.
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If you’ve been diagnosed with kidney failure, Medicare may waive its usual two-year waiting period required for people who qualify based on receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). About 8 in 10 Americans with kidney failure have Medicare coverage, according to the National Kidney Foundation.
End-stage renal disease is one of two conditions that allow people to receive Medicare quickly before age 65. The other is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
To qualify, you generally need to earn 40 work credits toward Social Security by age 65. Workers who pay FICA taxes receive one benefit credit for every $1,730 in earnings in 2024 (the amount changes annually), earning a maximum of four credits a year. However, younger people diagnosed with kidney failure may not need 40 quarters to be eligible for Medicare benefits, according to the National Kidney Foundation:
- Younger than 24: Six credits earned three years before kidney failure.
- Ages 24 to 30: Half the work credits earned from age 21 until kidney failure.
- Ages 31 to 43: 20 credits earned 10 years before kidney failure.
- Ages 44 to 61: 20 credits earned 10 years before kidney failure, plus two credits for every two years starting at age 44.
- 62 and older: 40 credits earned before kidney failure.
Call Social Security at 800-772-1213 or sign up for a My Social Security account to find out how many work credits you have. Medicare’s Eligibility Tool can also offer guidance.
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