Medicare is a Health Insurance Program for people age 65 or older, some disabled people under age 65, and people of all ages with End-Stage Renal Disease (permanent kidney failure treated with dialysis or a transplant). For somebody who is HIV-positive and disabled, cannot work and has no other health insurance, Medicare can provide healthcare coverage.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the nation's largest HIV healthcare provider for more than 20 years, created this website to help you understand what Medicare can offer you or a friend or loved-one who you know who is HIV-positive. As you read through this site and have a question that is not answered on the website, feel free to send us a message with your question. There is a link to send us a message on every page of this website.

• The first topic we cover is Medicare eligibility. To get covered by Medicare, you must apply for disability through Social Security. Learn how to apply for disability.
• State Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California) and other government programs like AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) can help pay for healthcare and prescription drug costs. Learn about these programs.
• Medicare offers several types of health plan coverage options that are designed to fit the needs and preferences of Medicare beneficiaries. These plans include Original Medicare as well as Medicare Advantage Special Needs plans and prescription drug plans. Each of these plan options has different costs and rules. You may have heard of Medicare Parts A, B, C and D. We'll explain what these “parts” are. Learn more about Medicare plans.
• Medicare also has set times for enrollment into health plans. It also has rules when you can change your coverage and what your options are when you change. Learn more about enrollment and disenrollment periods.