Who Has To Pay A Premium For Medicare Part A? 
Most people receive Medicare Part A premium-free because they have been paying Medicare taxes during their working life and met the 40 quarters requirement -LRB- equates to 10 years of working life -RRB- . Anyone who does not meet the qualifications for premium-free Medicare Part A would have to buy the coverage - the premium for Part A is $ 426 per month . The premium-free Part A requirements are : 1 -RRB- You 're 65 or older and you 're receiving social security retirement benefits -LRB- or are eligible for receiving them , but have n't elected to take them yet -RRB- , or you or your spouse had Medicare-covered employment through the government . 2 -RRB- If you 're under 65 and have been receiving social security disability benefits for 24 months or have ESRD -LRB- end-stage renal disease -RRB- and meet certain requirements . So if you do not meet these any of those items , you 'll have to pay for the coverage . If you 're subject to paying the Part A premium and are under 65 , you may want to look at an individual health insurance plan on the health insurance exchanges instead . If you 're signed up for Part A , you 're likely signed up for Part B as well -LRB- Part B requires a monthly premium -RRB- . If so , I would suggest adding a Medicare supplement plan to cover the gaps in Part A & Part B. I hope the information is helpful - please feel free to contact me for assistance with your Medicare supplement programs and if you have any other questions . Thanks very much . 