Medicare & You

Medicare is health insurance for people 65 or older, certain people under 65 with disabilities, and people of any age with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) (permanent kidney failure requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant).

Following are the different parts of Medicare.

Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance)

• Inpatient care in hospitals
• Skilled nursing facility care
• Hospice care
• Home health care

Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance)

• Services from doctors and other health care providers
• Outpatient care
• Home health care
• Durable medical equipment
• Many preventive services

Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage)

• Includes all benefits and services covered under Part A and Part B
• Usually includes Medicare prescription drug coverage (Part D) as part of the plan
• Run by Medicare-approved private insurance companies that follow rules set by Medicare
• Plans have a yearly limit on your out-of-pocket costs for medical services
• May include extra benefits and services that are not covered by Original Medicare, sometimes for an extra cost

Medicare Part D (Medicare prescription drug coverage)

• Helps cover the cost of prescription drugs
• Run by Medicare-approved drug plans that follow rules set by Medicare
• May help lower your prescription drug costs and help protect against higher costs in the future

It should be noted that in order to obtain Comprehensive Medicare Health insurance, one must obtain all four parts of Medicare or equivalent.

All Medicare beneficiaries who are entitled to Parts A & B are also eligible for parts C & D. Sometimes in lieu of C (Medicare Advantage Plan) a Medicare Supplement Plan (Medigap Coverage) in the form of Plan A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L M, or N may be purchased. It is not allowed to have both a Medicare Advantage Plan and a Medicare Supplement.

In summary, a Medicare Advantage Part C plan usually includes A, B and D thus affording all four parts of Medicare. The premiums may be from zero to over one hundred dollars.

Medicare Supplement plus a Part D (Prescription) plan will cost approximately between $100 to $250 depending on several other factors like your zip code, smoking habits, health condition, and the plan you choose, etc.

Refer to Medicare Handbook 2018 for complete details.

The health enrollment period for 2018 ends on December 7.

For more information, please contact:

Nadeem Ahmad Faizi, MSFS, REBC, RHU, LPRT
Senior Advisor
Senior American Services, Inc., Greensboro, North Carolina
Mobile: 336-862-4350
Email: nadeemfaizi007@gmail.com

Medicare
1-800-633-4227
medicare.gov

Source: medicare.gov