Medicare is a national health insurance program that began in 1966 under the Social Security Association. It is administered by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Medicare is an insurance program designed to primarily help those aged 65 and older but it also covers those who are under 65 and suffer from a disability.
What Does Medicare Cover?
In a broad sense, Medicare covers about half of the medical and healthcare expenses acquired by those who are enrolled. Many who are enrolled in medicare are also enrolled in additional private insurances or other public Part C and Part D Medicare health plans. This amount usually covers the other half of healthcare expenses not covered by Medicare.
Some out-of-pocket costs not covered by Medicare include things such as deductibles, co-pays, and uncovered services like long-term custodial care, dental, hearing and vision.
What are the options in Medicare?
There are 4 Parts of medicare that generally cover specific types of healthcare services. Original Medicare plans usually cover parts A and B while Medicare advantage plans can additionally offer Parts C and D. The four Parts of Medicare are:
Part A – This Part of Medicare often known as the hospitalization coverage is the part of the insurance that covers things like medically necessary hospital care, nursing facility care, and home health care.
Part B – This Part of Medicare is commonly known as Medical insurance and is the part of Medicare that covers things like necessary doctors services, preventative care, hospital outpatient care, and lab tests.
Part C – Part C of Medicare is known as the additional benefits that can include services like dental, vision, hearing exams, gym memberships, meals, or over the counter allowance.
Part D – Part D of Medicare is known as the prescription drug benefit and provides coverage for perscription drugs. This option is optional and provided by private insurance compainies. There are additional fees required to enroll in Part D of Medicare.
Contact Mair Agency with your questions
If you have any questions about the coverage of the different Medicare options available, contact Mair Agency. We have been helping customers choose the right plan according to their needs since 1996. Please fill out the contact form on our contact page for the information about Medicare that you are looking for.