When you have Medicare Medicare is the federal government health insurance program that provides health care coverage if you are 65 or older, are under 65 and receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) for 24 months, begin receiving SSDI due to ALS/Lou Gehrig’s Disease, or have End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) no matter your age. You can receive health coverage directly through the federal government (see Original Medicare) or through a private company (see Medicare Advantage).  and another type of insurance, Medicare is either your primary or secondary insurer. Use the table below to learn how Medicare coordinates with other insurances.
| Type of Insurance | Conditions | Primary | Secondary |
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| 65+ with job-based insurance | Fewer than 20 employees | Medicare | Employer |
| 20+ employees | Employer | Medicare | |
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| Disabled job-based insurance | Fewer than 100 employees | Medicare | Employer |
| 100+ employees | Employer | Medicare | |
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| Liability insurance | Liability-related claims | Liability | Medicare |
| Unrelated medical claims | Medicare | Not applicable1 | |
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| Retiree insurance | Not eligible for Medicare | Retiree | Not applicable |
| Eligible for Medicare | Medicare | Retiree | |
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| Veterans Administration (VA) benefits | Claim from VA facility | VA benefits | Not applicable2 |
| Claim from non-VA facility | Medicare | Not applicable | |
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| COBRA | Had COBRA before enrolling in Medicare | Medicare | Not applicable3 |
| Had Medicare before becoming eligible for COBRA | Medicare | COBRA | |
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| Medicaid | Eligible for Medicare | Medicare | Medicaid (payer of last resort) |
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| 1Â Liability insurance only pays on liability-related medical claims.
2 VA benefits and Medicare do not work together. Medicare does not pay for any care provided at a VA facility, and VA benefits typically do not work outside VA facilities. 3 COBRA ends if you had COBRA before enrolling in Medicare.
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Note: There are separate rules for individuals who are Medicare-eligible due to End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) is a kidney disease that requires you to be on dialysis or have a kidney transplant. Patients with ESRD may qualify for Medicare coverage regardless of age. .