How Does Medicare Part A Work?
Once you turn 65, you're eligible for Medicare. But before you sign up, it's important to understand just what the different parts of Medicare cover and how much they cost, so you don't end up wasting money on things that you could be getting for free. Because Medicare Part A is the most basic part of Medicare, it's an excellent place to start.
Medicare Part A is free for nearly everyone who qualifies for Social Security benefits. You'll get Part A at no charge if you or your spouse has at least 40 calendar quarters of paying Medicare taxes on your work record. That will almost certainly be the case if you've paid the 40 quarters of Social Security taxes needed to qualify for Social Security benefits.
If you don't have 40 quarters of Medicare taxes in your earnings record, you can still get Medicare Part A; you'll just have to pay premiums on it. For 2017, a retiree with 30 to 39 calendar quarters of Medicare taxes would pay $227 per month in Part A premiums; one with fewer than 30 quarters would pay $413 per month in premiums.
Source: Fool.com
