WHAT IS MEDICARE ?
Basic Medicare information.
Medicare is health insurance for people 65 or older. You may be eligible to get Medicare earlier if you have a disability, End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), or ALS (also called Lou Gehrig’s disease).
Some people get Medicare automatically, others have to actively sign up it depends if you start getting retirement or disability benefits from Social Security before you turn 65.
WHAT DOES ORIGINAL MEDICARE COVER ?
What does Part A cover? Part A (Hospital Insurance) helps cover: • Inpatient care in a hospital • Skilled nursing facility care • Hospice care • Home health care
What does Part B cover? Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) helps cover medically necessary doctor’s services, outpatient care, some home health services, durable medical equipment, mental health services, limited outpatient prescription drugs, and other medical services. Part B also covers many preventive services.
WHAT IS PART C ?
What are Medicare Advantage Plans? A Medicare Advantage Plan is another way to get your Medicare Part A and Part B coverage. Medicare Advantage Plans are Medicare-approved plans offered by private companies and must follow rules set by Medicare. These plans, also called “Part C” or “MA Plans,” may sometimes have names that don’t include the words “Medicare” or “Medicare Advantage.”
HOW DOES MEDIGAP/MEDICARE SUPPLEMENT WORK WITH MEDICARE?
Original Medicare doesn’t pay all of the cost for covered health care services and supplies. Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) policies sold by private insurance companies can help pay some of the remaining health care costs for covered services and supplies, like copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles. Some Medigap policies also cover services that Original Medicare doesn’t cover, like medical care when you travel outside the U.S. Generally, Medigap doesn’t cover long-term care (like care in a nursing home), vision or dental services, hearing aids, eyeglasses, or private-duty nursing.