Can I Get Medicare at Age 62?
You won't usually be able to get Medicare when you turn 62, even if you're getting Social Security retirement benefits.
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You'll typically be able to get Medicare when you turn 65. You can get Medicare at any age if you have kidney failure or ALS, or if you've gotten disability payments through Social Security for 24 months.
If you're retiring at 62 and need coverage until Medicare starts, you can buy coverage through HealthCare.gov or your state marketplace, although it'll likely be expensive. You might also qualify for free government health insurance, called Medicaid, if you have a low income.
Can I get Medicare at age 62?
You can't get Medicare at age 62 unless you have a disability or certain health conditions.
It's possible to get Medicare at age 62 or younger if you have:
- Kidney failure
- ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), also called Lou Gehrig's disease
- Gotten disability payments through Social Security for 24 months
You can get Social Security retirement benefits when you turn 62. This is a common source of confusion when it comes to Medicare eligibility. It's important to remember that Social Security and Medicare are two separate programs with different age requirements.
If you retire at age 62 or younger, you'll need to find another source of health insurance until you turn 65.
You may be eligible for free government health insurance, called Medicaid, if you earn below about $22,000 per person in most states.
Starting on Jan. 1, 2027, Medicaid enrollees will need to work, volunteer or study for 80 hours per month to stay eligible for benefits. Keep in mind, states have the option to start this rule earlier, so it's important to check your state's specific requirements before you sign up for Medicaid.
If you can't get Medicaid, consider getting coverage through HealthCare.gov or your state's marketplace. You may be eligible for discounts, called subsidies, that can make your coverage cheaper.
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Health insurance options if you can't get Medicare at age 62
If you need health insurance and you can't get Medicare, consider Medicaid, an ACA health plan or COBRA.
If you plan to retire at 62, you have a few options to bridge the gap until you turn 65 and can get Medicare. The best choice for you will depend on your situation, such as your income, your savings and where you live.
- Workplace coverage through a spouse is often the best coverage option if available.
- ACA plans, also called Obamacare plans, are plans you buy from HealthCare.gov or your state health exchange. Depending on your income, you may be eligible for discounts called subsidies that can make your plan cheaper.
- Medicaid is a type of free government health insurance if you have a low income.
- COBRA lets you keep the health insurance you had from your previous job for up to 18 months after quitting, retiring or being fired. Keep in mind, COBRA is typically more expensive than an ACA plan.
- Short-term health insurance is typically cheap, and you can buy it any time during the year. But it's usually not a good choice because short-term plans don't have to offer the same level of coverage as marketplace health plans.
- Retiree insurance is a type of group health coverage offered by some employers to retirees. Retiree insurance is often a good choice if you can get it, but fewer than 1 in 4 large employers offer this coverage option.
ACA plans
ACA plans available through HealthCare.gov can have affordable rates and good coverage.
For example, all Obamacare plans have to cover certain types of health care, including mental health care, prescription drugs and coverage for ongoing diseases, such as cancer or heart disease.
Companies also can't refuse to sell you a plan or exclude certain types of coverage based on a preexisting condition, and all plans have an annual spending cap, called an out-of-pocket maximum.
The amount you pay for an ACA plan depends on how much money you make. You'll get discounts, also called subsidies, if you earn between $15,650 and $62,600 as a single person.
ACA plans are more expensive in 2026, even if you get discounts. That's because the bigger discounts, called "enhanced subsidies," expired at the end of 2025. Congress is still debating the future of subsidies, and changes could happen throughout 2026. For now, though, rates are going up even if you have a low income.
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How to get affordable coverage if you can't get subsidies
You can lower the amount you pay for coverage each month using a few methods.
- Choose a lower plan tier: Consider a Bronze health plan or a Catastrophic health plan to lower your monthly payments. Keep in mind, you'll have to pay a very high deductible before most coverage starts. You should pick one of these plans only if you don't need a lot of medical care and you can comfortably afford the deductible.
- Shop around to get the best rates: Comparing quotes from different companies can save you hundreds of dollars per month.
- Lower your household income: If you're an early retiree and you have the option to draw from a combination of tax-advantaged accounts, consider taking more money from your Roth IRA or Roth 401(k) to reduce your taxable income. Remember, the government only considers your taxable income when determining subsidy eligibility.
A Silver health plan costs an average of $1,691 per month for a 62-year-old who doesn't get discounts. The cost of health insurance rises sharply as you enter middle age.
How old do you have to be to get Medicare?
Most people can get Medicare when they turn 65.
You can enroll in Medicare up to three months before or after your birthday month. So if you turn 65 on April 7, you could sign up for Medicare at any point between Jan. 1 and July 31.
After you sign up, your Part A coverage starts the first of the following month. If you sign up for Medicare before your birth month, your Part B coverage starts on the first of your birth month. If you sign up during your birth month or in the three months after, your coverage starts the first of the following month.
Keep in mind, you'll automatically get Medicare if you're taking Social Security payments. Otherwise, you need to sign up with the Social Security office online or over the phone at 800-772-1213 (TTY 800-325-0778).
It's possible to get Medicare if you're younger than 65 if you have kidney failure or ALS, or you've gotten disability payments through Social Security for two years.
To get Medicare at any age, you also need to be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident who has lived in the U.S. for at least five years in a row.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get Medicare at age 62?
No, you can't get Medicare at age 62 unless you have kidney failure (end-stage renal disease) or ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also called Lou Gehrig's disease), or you've gotten Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) for 24 months. Early retirees can get coverage through HealthCare.gov or their state's health exchange. Medicaid is an option if you have a low income.
How can I retire at 62 and get health insurance?
If you retire at age 62, you may be able to get cheap coverage through HealthCare.gov or your state health marketplace. You could also be eligible for free government health insurance, called Medicaid, if you make roughly $22,000 per year or less as a single person.
Does everyone have to pay $202.90 a month for Medicare?
Medicare Part B costs $202.90 per month in 2026, and most people pay this amount. You might pay more if you make more than $109,000 per year. Medicare Part A generally doesn't have a monthly rate, although you could pay for Part A if you worked and paid Medicare taxes for fewer than 10 years.
Methodology and sources
Average rates for health insurance come from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) public use files (PUFs) and state health insurance marketplaces. Rates are for Silver plans, and the cost by age was determined using default age rating info from CMS. Rates by age vary in some states.
Medicare age requirements, costs and open enrollment dates came from CMS.gov and Medicare.gov. Medicare requirements and Social Security eligibility rules came from SSA.gov.
Insurance Writer
Cate Deventer is a ValuePenguin writer who specializes in health insurance, Medicare, auto and home insurance. She's been a licensed insurance agent since 2011.
She started her insurance career working as a customer service agent for State Farm. She later moved to an independent agency, where she worked with several insurance companies and hundreds of clients. She quoted policies, filed claims and answered insurance questions. In 2021, she pivoted her career and began writing about insurance for Bankrate. She moved to ValuePenguin in 2023 and began writing about health insurance and Medicare.
Cate has a passion for helping readers choose insurance to fit their needs. She enjoys knowing that her research and knowledge help people choose insurance products that make a positive difference in their lives.
How insurance helped Cate
Cate used her health insurance knowledge to navigate a surgery in 2023. Understanding how her policy worked let her focus on recovery instead of worrying about bills.
Expertise
- Health insurance
- Medicare & Medicaid
- Auto insurance
- Home insurance
- Life insurance
Credentials
- Licensed Life, Accident & Health Insurance Agent
- Licensed Property & Casualty Insurance Agent
Referenced by
- CBS
- NBC
- Wall Street Journal
Education
- BA, Theatre, Purdue University
- BA, English, Indiana University
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