Is Green Card Spouse Medicare Eligible?

[SKJ58]

Husband is already on Medicare, wife is perm resident w/green card. I know that non-working spouses can get benefits under working spouse's qualification (premium-free), but does that apply to resident alien spouses too? She has not been in country five years yet and no work credits. She is turning 65 later this year.

 

[yorkriver1]

Doing a search and reading on Social Security website, the eligibility under spouse's qualifications hinges on "lawful presence and residency". I found that here:
https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0300204010
A call to Social Security would probably help, if the info on the link isn't clear.

 

[SKJ58]

Doing a search and reading on Social Security website, the eligibility under spouse's qualifications hinges on "lawful presence and residency". I found that here:
https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0300204010
A call to Social Security would probably help, if the info on the link isn't clear.

Thanks, that is helpful. I spent 2 hours searching S.S. and Medicare.gov but never saw this. I will forward the link to him. I had planned to suggest to him to call S.S. for a definitive answer, but wanted to give him something more than "I don't know, call the gov't." Thanks for your help.