The amount of government assistance for any service is usually in some way effected by the personal finances of that person. Medicare is no different in that regard. The service is offered in many varying levels that range from complete coverage, to no coverage, to all levels in between. Usually the amount of retirement funds and other sources of income are used to judge a persons qualification for this type of help. Even if a person doesn’t qualify for the most coverage it may still be a good idea for them to use Medicare as a supplemental plan.
If you noticed on your paychecks there was 6.2% taken out for the purpose of funding Medicare. The amount that you have paid in can actually help the amount of assistance you receive later in life. Remember that even in that case your finances affect your qualification for Medicare and will still dictate whether or not you get any help. It is interesting to note that people who have put the most into the system might not get any assistance at all, but they probably didn’t need any anyway.
If you find that you only qualify for partial coverage at first you may benefit from using a look back further down the line. Just because you don’t meet the qualifications doesn’t mean that you truly can’t afford medical care at that time, which is why the look back rule is in effect for up to 5 years. Finances affect your qualification for Medicare in many ways, but the most important is how the government views your personal ability to buy private insurance.