Qualifying for US medicare after living in Japan?

Hey all. I’ve been trying to figure out medicare eligibility for US citizens who have worked in Japan. As far as I can tell, working in Japan counts towards social security benefits if returning to the US, but offers no credit towards medicare eligibility.

Are US citizens who work abroad but return to the US in old age basically ineligible for medicare? What exactly are Americans supposed to do if returning to the US having mostly worked abroad? Can anyone point me towards some information related to this that you’ve found helpful?

Thank you!

2 comments
  1. Not sure but going from Japanese health care to US health care must be like night and day. You have my condolences.

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