Elimination of Medicare's Waiting Period for Seriously Disabled Adults: Impact on Coverage and Costs

Over 1.2 million seriously disabled Americans under age 65—including as many as 400,000 without health insurance—are currently in the two-year waiting period for Medicare coverage, according to a new report from The Commonwealth Fund. Eliminating this two-year waiting period would provide stable health insurance to a vulnerable group of adults who are unable to work. Some disabled adults in the waiting period qualify for state Medicaid programs. The report finds that dropping the two-year Medicare wait would save cash-strapped states an estimated $1.8 billion a year in Medicaid costs.