Options While Waiting for Medicare Qualification

by Betty

Question:

What does a person who has gone on disability and has to have a liver transplant and they have 11 more months to wait to go on Medicare do? Is there any insurance company that will cover a pre-existing disease?

Answer

A person under age 65 can qualify for Medicare if they are disabled for 24 months. Perhaps that's the situation of the individual you refer to.

I can't imagine any insurance company taking them at this point, since it's a clear money loser, what with an expensive transplant operation looming.

If they qualify for Medicaid by having very low assets, then maybe that will work.

Also, there could possibly be specific programs for someone waiting for a transplant; that's possible. I just don't know all that sort of thing. You probably want to contact one of the organizations that advocate for and/or provide services for transplant patients. You might get some good leads there.