For any inhabitant of the United States, any type of financial benefit is welcome. For that reason, Social Security has a large number of users. But not all users receive the same amount of money, nor do they receive the same benefits. In this regard, we have Medicare, which is not available to all Social Security users.
To start receiving Medicare services, it is mandatory to meet a series of requirements. If you do not meet them, you will not be able to enjoy the great advantages of Medicare. Among other things, you must be at least 65 years old to start using Medicare. If you are not 65 years old, you cannot have both retirement and Medicare at the same time. In the case of people with disabilities, the conditions change a little, so it is best to check with them.
Medicare and Social Security ERA
Therefore, if we take into account that the Early Retirement Age (ERA) is at age 62, it is not possible to enjoy the first years of retirement with Medicare. This implies that we will have to spend a good amount of our Social Security money on doctors while we do not have access to Medicare. This is a detail to take into account before making a final decision.
Thus, it is better to continue working until age 65. In addition, this will also make your Social Security benefit go way up when you start collecting it. Remember that if you apply for ERA you will not get a full benefit, but a reduction of about 30%. So, if you wait until 65 before applying for the retirement benefit, you will have Medicare services plus an extra amount of money in your benefit every month.