Medicare vs. Medicaid: What’s the Difference When it Comes to Social Security Disability?

• March 28, 2017
• Personal Injury
• Social Security Disability

When a disability leads you to apply for Social Security disability insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental security Income (SSI), you will have the opportunity to receive monthly benefits if approved. In addition to receiving disability benefits, you will also receive either Medicare or Medicaid, depending on the type of benefits you receive.

Because our Detroit Social Security disability attorneys at Goodman Acker, P.C. focus on providing comprehensive support and counsel to our clients, we can help explain whether you will be approved for Medicare and Medicaid, as well as any rules, stipulations, and important rights you need to know. Generally, the most important thing to understand is that Medicare is a benefit associated with Social Security disability insurance or retirement benefits, while Medicaid is a benefit associated with SSI benefits.

When it comes to Social Security disability and Medicare and Medicaid, you should be aware of the following:

• SSDI – If you receive Social Security disability insurance benefits, you will receive Medicare. Medicare is a federal program for people who are 65 years of age or older, have been or are entitled to receive 24 months’ worth of Social Security benefits, have permanent kidney failure and require regular dialysis or a kidney transplant, or have ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). If you receive SSDI, you will not be able to receive Medicare benefits until two years following your date of entitlement. This is generally two years after the month you first receive monthly disability benefits, but in some cases can be less than two years.


• SSI – If you were approved for benefits under Supplemental Security Income (SSI), you will receive Medicaid. Medicaid is a means/income-based program and the benefits vary from state to state. Generally, a person entitled to SSI benefits is also eligible for Medicaid coverage.


• SSI and SSDI – In some cases, disabled individuals are approved to receive concurrent benefits from both Social Security disability insurance and Supplement Security Income. When this is the case, it can become more difficult to determine whether that person will be eligible for Medicare or Medicaid. Our legal team can assist you in determining what happens in your situation if this applies to you.

If you have further questions about Social Security disability and the benefits available under these programs, you can be confident about bringing your case and questions to Goodman Acker, P.C. Since 1994, our firm has helped secure millions of dollars in compensation and benefits for injured and disabled clients across Michigan, and we are prepared to use more than 75 years of combined experience to help you navigate your legal journey and secure the benefit you need.

Learn more about how we can help during a FREE case review. Contact us today.