Medicare Blog

how does medicare for spouse affect obamacare supsidies

by Dr. Vivian Kessler Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago

In other words the coverage for spouse costs more than double the coverage for the employee him- or herself. Although covering a spouse through an employer can be expensive, the spouse won’t be eligible for the premium subsidy because the spouse has access to an employer coverage and the employee-only coverage is still affordable.

Full Answer

What happens if my spouse goes on disability/Medicare?

If a spouse goes on disability/Medicare, the other spouse shouldn’t be penalized and should be able to stay on healthcare.gov based on their MAGI since the disability will be a lesser amount.

Does My Medicare insurance cover my spouse?

Your personal Medicare insurance policy does not cover anyone but you. Your spouse or family members cannot be included in your coverage. For your spouse to have Medicare coverage, he or she must have a separate, individual policy.

Is the ACA better than Medicare for my spouse?

The one plus is that your spouse will still use household income to determine subsidies. Thus, at some incomes this works out to a great deal (in my opinion better than Medicare cost-wise), but only at some incomes. I am preparing to retire. My spouse is 58. I have been checking locally for the ACA policies available.

Does marriage affect Obamacare Premium subsidy qualifications?

If you are not married yet, and you plan to qualify for the premium subsidy under Obamacare, think twice before you tie the knot. Marriage gets in the way of getting affordable health care in several ways.

Can I get Obamacare if my husband has Medicare?

Can I enroll in Medicare as his spouse? No. Although your husband now qualifies for Medicare, you will not qualify for Medicare until you turn 65. If you do not have health insurance now, you can consider signing up for health insurance coverage through a Marketplace plan.

What happens to the ACA subsidy when one person goes on Medicare?

Individual market plans no longer terminate automatically when you turn 65. You can keep your individual market plan, but premium subsidies will terminate when you become eligible for premium-free Medicare Part A (there is some flexibility here, and the date the subsidy terminates will depend on when you enroll).

Can I have both Medicare and Obamacare?

No. The Marketplace doesn't affect your Medicare choices or benefits, so if you have Medicare coverage, you don't need to do anything. This means no matter how you get Medicare, whether through Original Medicare or a Medicare Advantage Plan (like an HMO or PPO), you don't have to make any changes.

What happens to my spouse when I go on Medicare?

The answer is no. Medicare is individual insurance, so spouses cannot be on the same Medicare plan together. Now, if your spouse is eligible for Medicare, then he or she can get their own Medicare plan.

Does Medicare count as income?

Medicare premium deductions are for your income taxes (federal, state, and local). They do not impact your self-employment taxes, which include taxes to fund the Medicare and Social Security programs. So you'll still pay the same amount in self-employment taxes, regardless of whether you deduct your Medicare premiums.

Can I keep Obamacare instead of Medicare?

A: The law allows you to keep your plan if you want, instead of signing up for Medicare, but there are good reasons why you shouldn't. If you bought a Marketplace plan, the chances are very high that you do not have employer-based health care coverage.

How has the Affordable Care Act affect Medicare?

Medicare Premiums and Prescription Drug Costs The ACA closed the Medicare Part D coverage gap, or “doughnut hole,” helping to reduce prescription drug spending. It also increased Part B and D premiums for higher-income beneficiaries. The Bipartisan Budget Act (BBA) of 2018 modified both of these policies.

Can only one spouse get Obamacare?

You have the option of putting both spouses on one plan or selecting two different plans. You can pick separate plans even if you're enrolling in the exchange with premium subsidies.

What is the relationship between Medicare and the Marketplace?

The Health Insurance Marketplace® is for people who don't have health insurance. You don't need to join the Marketplace if you have Medicare. The Marketplace doesn't affect your Medicare choices or benefits.

How does Medicare work for married couples?

Medicare has no family plans, meaning that you and your spouse must enroll for Medicare benefits separately. This also means husbands, wives, spouses and partners pay separate Medicare premiums.

Why is my Medicare premium higher than my husbands?

If you file your taxes as “married, filing jointly” and your MAGI is greater than $170,000, you'll pay higher premiums for your Part B and Medicare prescription drug coverage. If you file your taxes using a different status, and your MAGI is greater than $85,000, you'll pay higher premiums.

Can I get Medicare if my husband is 65?

Traditional Medicare includes Part A (hospital insurance) and Part B (medical insurance). To qualify for Medicare, your spouse must be age 65 or older. If your spouse is age 62 (or any age under 65), he or she could only qualify for Medicare by disability.

How many children can you add to your ACA insurance?

The final rule states that for a single household, no more than three children under the age of 21 will be counted for the purpose of determining the family's premium. 6.

How much is the after subsidy for a family of 4?

Initially, they are a family of four, and their after-subsidy premium is $532 per month, with a subsidy of $904 per month picking up the rest (note that premiums for kids used to only vary based on age once the kid turned 21, but as of 2018, kids' premiums start to increase once they turn 15.

How much is the American Rescue Plan subsidy 2021?

Using the U.S. average costs, their subsidy in 2021 is $1,782 per month. Their after-subsidy premium for the second-lowest-cost silver plan (ie, the benchmark plan) is $233 per month, which is 5.6% of their household income (before the American Rescue Plan was enacted, they were expected to spend 9.53% of their income for the benchmark plan, but the new law has reduced that for 2021 and 2022, resulting in a larger premium subsidy). 3

How much is the health insurance premium for a 4th child?

Their total health insurance premium for the family will still be $1,705 per month, since the insurer isn't allowed to add any additional premium for the fourth child. But they will only be responsible for $318 of it, and their subsidy will grow to $1,387 per month.

How much does Amy and Bill pay in 2021?

Amy and Bill's household income is $48,000 per year. Based on the US average, Bill pays $206 per month in 2021 for the benchmark plan in the exchange, and the remaining $514 per month is covered by his subsidy. Now let's say Amy's employer stops offering health insurance.

What happens if a young adult is included in his or her parents' health insurance plan through the exchange?

If a young adult is included on his or her parents' health insurance plan through the exchange, the young adult's income would be added to the parents' income for subsidy eligibility determination, even if they file their own tax returns.

What is the purpose of subsidies?

There are a few points to keep in mind here: The subsidies are designed to limit the amount you pay for your household's coverage through the exchange. But amounts you pay for other coverage outside the exchange (e.g., from an employer, or from Medicare) are not applied to the limit. Your household's total income is taken into consideration, ...

When does Medicare coverage take effect?

If you complete the enrollment process during the three months prior to your 65th birthday, your Medicare coverage takes effect the first of the month you turn 65 ( unless your birthday is the first of the month ). Your premium subsidy eligibility continues through the last day of the month prior to the month you turn 65.

When will Medicare be sent out to my 65 year old?

If you’re already receiving Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefits, the government will automatically enroll you in Medicare Part A the month you turn 65, with your Medicare card arriving in the mail about three months before you turn 65. If you’re not yet receiving Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefits, ...

What happens if you don't sign up for Medicare?

And if you keep your individual market exchange plan and don’t sign up for Medicare when you first become eligible, you’ll have to pay higher Medicare Part B premiums for the rest of your life, once you do enroll in Medicare, due to the late enrollment penalty.

How long does it take to get Medicare if you are not receiving Social Security?

If you’re not yet receiving Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefits, you’ll have a seven-month window during which you can enroll in Medicare, which you’ll do through the Social Security Administration. Your Medicare card will be sent to you after you enroll. Your enrollment window starts three months before the month you turn 65, ...

When does Medicare subsidy end?

If you enroll in Medicare during the final three months of your initial enrollment period, your premium subsidy will likely end before your Part B coverage begins, although your Part A coverage should be backdated to the month you turned 65.

When will Medicare be enrolled in Social Security?

Here are the details: If you’re already receiving retirement benefits from Social Security or the Railroad Retirement Board, you’ll automatically be enrolled in Medicare with an effective date of the first of the month that you turn 65. As is the case for people who enroll prior to the month they turn 65, premium subsidy eligibility ends on ...

When will Medicare be sent to you?

Your Medicare card will be sent to you after you enroll. Your enrollment window starts three months before the month you turn 65, includes the month you turn 65, and then continues for another three months. (Note that you’ll need to enroll during the months prior to your birth month in order to have coverage that takes effect the month you turn 65.

What happens if you marry someone with a low income?

If you have a low income and you marry someone who has a higher income, your combined income may be over the 400% FPL cutoff. You lose the subsidy. That’s intended because we expect the higher-earning spouse to subsidize the lower-earning spouse.

What happens when you put two incomes together?

When you put two incomes together, you can fall off the cliff together. For instance suppose two of you have a MAGI of $35k each. If you don’t marry, both of you qualify for the subsidy. After you marry, neither of you will qualify for the subsidy.

Does an employer subsidize dependents?

Most employers offer coverage to an employee’s spouse but they don’t subsidize dependents or they subsidize dependents much less than they subsidize employees. At my employer, an employee’s cost to cover the employee plus spouse is not just 2x the cost to cover only the employee. It’s 3.2x.

Do you get a lower subsidy if you marry?

Lower Subsidy. Even if you manage to stay on the cliff, you will still receive a lower subsidy when you marry, due to the fact that the FPL for two is much less than twice the FPL for one. This chart shows the subsidies two people with the same income will receive when they marry versus when they stay as two singles.

What is MAGI in health insurance?

For the purpose of determining subsidy eligibility, the IRS and the health insurance exchanges use an ACA-specific version of modified adjusted gross income (MAGI). MAGI is based on household income, even if only one spouse is applying for a policy in the exchange.

Is subsidy eligibility a function of income?

Keep in mind that subsidy eligibility is a function of income related to the poverty level. Although your total household income is obviously higher than your wife’s income alone, the poverty level for a household of two is also higher than the poverty level for a household of one.

How long do you have to work to qualify for Medicare?

In the United States, as soon as you turn 65 you are eligible for Medicare benefits if you are citizen or have been a legal resident for five years or more and have worked for at least 40 quarters (10 years) paying federal taxes.

How old do you have to be to get Medicare?

In a case such as this, you must be at least 62 years old.

Can you get Medicare at different ages?

If you and your spouse are different ages, you will likely become eligible at different times. Primary Medicare recipients and their non-insured spouses are entitled to the same benefits under Medicare if both have reached the age of 65.

Do you have to enroll in Medicare Part B or D?

If you wish to sign up for Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance), and/or Part D (prescription drug insurance), you must enroll separately during your initial enrollment period, Open Enrollment or during Special Enrollment Period to avoid paying late enrollment penalties.

How long does a spouse have to be on Cobra?

If a company has more than 20 employees, it is required to offer COBRA benefits. COBRA allows coverage for 18 months, sometimes longer, so if the working spouse can wait to retire until 18 months before the younger spouses 65th birthday, this would work out nicely.

How long do you have to work to qualify for Medicare?

First, it is important to know how eligibility for Medicare works. Most Medicare beneficiaries have worked and paid Medicare payroll taxes for at least 10 years to qualify for premium-free Medicare Part A as well as Part B coverage. If you have not worked for 10 years but your spouse has, you are allowed to claim benefits on their record. Medicare benefits cannot start earlier than when you turn 65, unless you are disabled, have ALS, or have end-stage renal disease. Medicare will only cover you, not your spouse or children if they are not eligible on their own.

What is Cobra insurance?

COBRA, or the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, is a law that gives workers and families that lose employer health coverage the right to maintain the coverage by paying the full premiums. If a company has more than 20 employees, it is required to offer COBRA benefits. COBRA allows coverage for 18 months, sometimes longer, ...

Can a non-working spouse get Social Security?

If the non-working spouse is older than the working spouse, the non-working spouse can qualify on on the working spouses work record if they are at least 62, since that is when qualification for Social Security begins. In this case, if the working spouse is still working, the non-working spouse should stay on the work health insurance ...

Can a spouse get health insurance after 65?

The other option would be for the younger spouse to find a job that offers health insurance until they turn 65. While this is a long-shot, some companies will provide coverage for the younger spouse even after the working spouse retires.

Can a non-working spouse claim Medicare?

If the working spouse is no longer employed, the non-working spouse should go ahead and apply for coverage fully from Medicare. If the working spouse is younger than 62, the non-working spouse will not be able to claim on the record.

Does Medicare cover spouse?

Medicare will only cover you, not your spouse or children if they are not eligible on their own. This is where problems begin, especially when a working spouse is older than a non-working spouse. Say the working spouse turns 65, retires, and claims Medicare. The other spouse is only 61.

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