Medicare is not only for people over age 65—since 1972, coverage has also been available to people with disabilities.

Nearly 7 million Americans under age 65 qualify for Medicare due to severe and permanent disabilities. However, their coverage doesn’t begin immediately or automatically when they first become disabled. The law states that they must wait two full years from the date their Social Security Disability Insurance begins before they can receive Medicare.

This 24-month waiting period exposes millions to financial hardship, pain and suffering.

According to a 2003 study by the Commonwealth Fund, as many as one-third of those in the waiting period may be uninsured or have inadequate insurance coverage. By the time they obtain Medicare coverage, 77 percent are poor or nearly poor. Close to half have incomes below the poverty line. After qualifying for Social Security Disability Income (SSDI), nearly 12 percent of individuals die while still in the Medicare waiting period.

The majority of people who become disabled were previously working full time and paying into Medicare. But if life takes a mean turn, and you are injured in a car accident or diagnosed with a disabling disease—just when you need health care coverage the most because you’ve lost your health, job, income, and health insurance—federal law requires you to wait two full years to become eligible for Medicare.

An accident or disabling illness can happen to anyone, and few have the financial resources to carry them through the waiting period. By the time they obtain Medicare coverage, most people are poor or nearly poor.

Congress has already acknowledged that the 24-month waiting period can be a death sentence for people with specific diseases—it has already eliminated the waiting period for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease) and for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) for which a lack of treatment is fatal. Now it’s time for Congress to eliminate the 24-month waiting period for all other people with disabilities.

As a concerned citizen, you can act for change in Congress. Take action now!

For more information regarding your medicare rights, visit www.medicarerights.org.