Q. I am reading in a Blue Cross/Blue Shield brochure that you have to be a federal employee as of Jan. 1, 1983, to get free Medicare Part A. I joined in March 1983 and do not have Social Security eligibility. Will I get Part A for free or not? What is the significance of Jan. 1, 1983?
A. Here’s the scoop from the Social Security Administration: “Federal employees are required to contribute to the Medicare Trust Fund and are therefore eligible for Medicare. This provision is referred to as the Medicare Qualified Government Employees (MQGE) provision.
“All wages paid to Federal employees after Dec. 31, 1982, are taxed for health insurance, and through payment of this tax, employees earn Government Employment Quarters of Coverage (GEQCs). GEQCs can be used only for Medicare purposes. These GEQCs are counted toward Medicare coverage only and do not count toward entitlement to Social Security benefits.
“Federal employees need the same number of total QCs to qualify for Medicare as they need to qualify for Social Security insured status.
“However, under a transitional provision in the law, any Federal employee who was an employee at any time during January 1983 and was employed before Jan. 1, 1983, may be granted GEQCs for Federal service prior to January 1983.”
