Medicare is the federal health insurance program for people 65 and over; for disabled individuals who receive SSDI through Social Security; and those with Lou Gehrig’s (ALS) or End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). Your (red, white and blue) Medicare card has your unique identification number and the effective dates of Part A, or Part B, or both.
Parts A and B are called Original Medicare. Original Medicare is also known as Traditional Medicare.
Part A covers 1) inpatient hospitalization; 2) treatment in a skilled nursing facility; 3) home health care; and 4) hospice.
Part B covers outpatient medical services such as 1) physician visits;2) laboratory and diagnostic tests; 3) ambulance; 4) urgent care and emergency room treatment. Part B also covers drugs administered in your doctor’s office or a medical facility.
Can I use my Medicare I.D. card to get medical care?
You can see any doctor, or go to any facility, which accepts Medicare anywhere in the country.
Is Original Medicare Expensive?
It depends on how much you use it and what services you use it for.**
Part A is premium free if you’ve worked for ten years in the United States and paid into Social Security. However, if you’re admitted into the hospital as an inpatient, Medicare will bill you $1,675 per benefit period. A benefit period lasts 60 days. This is your Part A deductible.
The monthly premium for Part B is $185.00. Medicare pays 80% of outpatient services. You pay 20%. For physician visits, your share of the cost is typically reasonable. For more intensive services, such as MRIs, CT Scans, ambulance costs and emergency room visits, 20% can be a significant amount of money
Part A and Part B do not pay for medications. You will need to enroll in a separate prescription plan (Medicare Part D).
How Can I Help Cover the Costs of Original Medicare?
One option is to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan. Medicare Advantage plans are also known as Medicare Part C. They are offered by private insurance companies. Medicare Part C covers all the benefits of Original Medicare (Parts A and B) at a lower cost and includes extra benefits not covered by Original Medicare. Some examples are routine dental and vision care, an allowance for hearing aids, and meals delivered to your door after being discharged from the hospital. Many Medicare Advantage plans include prescriptions. For more information on Medicare Advantage plans, go to ‘Medicare’ on the Services tab of this website.
A second option to offset costs is to enroll in a Medicare Supplement plan. As the name implies, these plans ‘supplement’ the costs of Medicare Parts A and B. For more information, please see my blog on Medicare Supplement Insurance.
*This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency.
**For a complete list of Original Medicare costs, go to www.medicare.gov. Call 725-227-6795, email ken@deserthealthandlife.com or fill out a contact form on this website with any questions. I am a licensed insurance broker.
