Did you know that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which began in 2010, made several changes to the Medicare program, many of which reduced the cost of Medicare? If you qualify for Medicare, you might have questions about what your insurance covers, and what your options are for getting greater coverage than what basic Medicare plans allow for. Here are three facts you should keep in mind.
1. What does Medicare Parts A and B cover?
Medicare Part A, which serves as hospital insurances, helps to cover hospices, home health care, skilled nursing facilities, and of course, inpatient hospital care. Medicare Part B helps to cover some preventative services, medical equipment, health care services, and home health care. Medicare does not cover anything, and even when Medicare covers, you usually need to pay copays and deductibles. Excluded services include dental care, dentures, hearing aids, long term care, and routine foot care.
2. Is it worth it to get Medicare suppliment insurance?
For most people, yes. Although studies suggest that the average woman needs $150,000 to cover health care during retirement, and the average man needs about $124,000, the average senior household only has $67,000 in savings. Consider this: 30% of Medicare enrollees end up in the emergency room every year. For most people, Medicare suppliment insurance helps them manage these costs throughout retirement.
3. What options do people have for adding to their Medicare plans?
There are several options available to people. Medicare part C and part D, for example, might come in handy. Part C is Medicare Advantage; this allows you to receive health care services through a provider, which can help lower the costs of services, and sometimes you can get extra benefits for a monthly fee. Through this, you can often get services like dental and vision care coverage. Part D is prescription drug coverage, which is paid for in part by a monthly premium.
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