To qualify for Medicare under the age of 65, an individual must have a disability that makes them unable to work for at least a year. Examples of such disabilities include certain cancers, respiratory illnesses, and musculoskeletal disorders. The disability requirements come from the Social Security Disability Insurance program (SSDI), and an individual must first qualify for SSDI to become eligible for Medicare based on disability. There is a five-month waiting period after a beneficiary is determined to be disabled before they begin to collect Social Security Disability benefits. Medicare is available for certain people with disabilities who are under age 65 and have received Social Security Disability benefits for 24 months or have End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) or Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) . Medicare coverage is the same for people who qualify based on disability as for those who qualify based on age, and the full range of Medicare benefits are available. Coverage includes certain hospital, nursing home, home health, physician, and community-based services, and the health care services do not have to be related to the individual’s disability in order to be covered.