Advocacy Groups Seek Elimination Of Medicare Eligibility Waiting Period For Individuals With Disabilities

A number of advocacy groups, such as the Medicare Rights Center, have begun to lobby Congress to revise a law that requires a two-year waiting period to become eligible for Medicare after they begin to receive Social Security disability benefits, USA Today reports. An estimated 400,000 uninsured U.S. residents with disabilities are waiting to become eligible for Medicare, according to a report released on Wednesday. The report, prepared by the center and funded by the Commonwealth Fund, profiles 21 individuals with disabilities who are waiting to become eligible for Medicare. Medicare implemented the waiting period in 1972, when the program expanded to cover individuals with disabilities, to limit the cost and ensure only those with severe and long-term disabilities would qualify for the program.