What is Medicare?

Medicare is health insurance for:

  • People 65 or older
  • Certain people under 65 with disabilities
  • People of any age with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) (permanent
    kidney failure requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant)

What are the different parts of Medicare?

Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) helps cover:

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

Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) helps cover:

  • Services from doctors and other health care providers
  • Outpatient care
  • Home health care
  • Durable medical equipment (like wheelchairs, walkers, hospital beds, another equipment and supplies)
  • Many preventive services (like screenings, shots, and yearly “Wellness”visits)

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.

 

Your Medicare options

When you first enroll in Medicare and during certain times of the year, you can choose how you get your Medicare coverage. There are 2 main ways to get Medicare:

Original Medicare

  • Original Medicare includes Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) and
    Part B (Medical Insurance).
  • If you want drug coverage, you can join a separate Part D plan.
  • To help pay your out-of-pocket costs in Original Medicare (like your deductible and 20% coinsurance), you can also shop for and buy supplemental coverage.

 

original-medicare-options
Medicare-advantage

Medicare Advantage (also known as Part C)

  • Medicare Advantage is an “all in one” alternative to Original Medicare. These “bundled” plans include Part A, Part B, and usually Part D.
  • Some plans may have lower out-of-pocket costs than Original Medicare.
  • Some plans offer extra benefits that Original Medicare doesn’t cover— like vision, hearing, or dental.
Medicare-advantage