Medicare is a health insurance program designed to assist persons 65 or older, persons under 65 who have been receiving Social Security disability payments for at least two years, and certain chronically ill patients. Medicare eligibility is not based on your income. You must apply for the Medicare program. You can apply three months before your 65th birthday.

Medicare has two parts: Part A (For hospital bills), and Part B (for other medical bills). Under Part B, you will have to pay part of your medical bill (a deductible) before Medicare will pay 80% of the approved amount of the rest of your bill. There are some medical services Medicare won't pay for. If you receive Medicare Part A and your monthly income is less than 100% of the federal poverty guidelines, and all resources are less than two times the SSI limit (i.e. $4,000 for one person and $6,000 for a couple) the "QMB" Medicaid program will pay all premiums, coinsurance and deductibles.

If your income is less than 135% of the federal poverty guidelines, and you meet the other requirements just mentioned, "SLMB" Medicaid will pay your monthly Part B premium. For more information about QMB or SLMB-Q1-I Medicaid, call 1-800-638-6833.

The information provided above should not be construed as legal advice. It was excerpted with permission from Justice For All, a publication of the Texas Lawyers Care program. Texas Lawyers Care is a department of the State Bar of Texas. The funding for Justice For All was made possible by the generous support of the Texas Young Lawyers Association, the Texas Legal Services Center, and the Litigation Section of the State Bar of Texas.