Ask the Expert: How wife can qualify for Medicare

I'm 56 and my wife is 54. Her annual Social Security statement says she's five credits short of eligibility for Medicare at 65. (She was a stay-at-home mom and didn't have a lot of earnings.) The statement said she must either work for the missing credits or buy in to Medicare when she turns 65. Can she piggyback from me, since I will be eligible for both Social Security and Medicare at 65?

Not to worry. As your wife, she can qualify for both Social Security and Medicare on your record.

In general, a person must work for at least 10 years to earn the 40 Social Security credits necessary to be eligible for Medicare. (In 2010, you receive one credit for each $1,120 you earn, but you can't earn more than four credits a year.) If you have at least 40 credits, you don't have to pay anything for Medicare Part A, which covers hospital care. If you have between 30 and 39 credits when you turn 65, you must pay $254 a month for Medicare Part A. If you have less than 30 credits, it costs $461 a month. (Everyone pays for Part B, which covers doctors' visits. It costs $110.50 a month this year for new subscribers but remains $96.40 a month for those already enrolled in Medicare.)

Everyone gets an estimate of their future benefits, based on their earnings history, in an annual Social Security statement, which arrives in the mail about three months before your birthday. (Always double-check that the earnings history on the statement is accurate, advises Alan E. Weiner, partner emeritus of Holtz Rubenstein Reminick in Melville. Mistakes can be corrected.)

The bottom line Husbands and wives can qualify for Medicare based on each other's work records.

Two websites with more information bit.ly/a8xyfl and bit.ly/bnZwUe