Medicare FAQ #1
What does Medicare Cover?
When it comes to Original Medicare, your coverage is going to be broken down into two parts, Part A, and Part B, and they cover different things. Beneficiaries of Original Medicare can see any doctor that accepts Medicare assignment.
Medicare Part A (hospital insurance)
In general, Part A covers the costs associated with inpatient care in a hospital or skilled nursing facility care, but not custodial or long-term care. It also helps pay for hospice care, and home health care when it is deemed medically necessary. There are limitations to this coverage, and as the beneficiary there would be cost sharing that you would be responsible for.
Medicare Part B (medical insurance)
Part B covers two types of services: medically necessary services, and preventive services. These include physician services, outpatient care, durable medical equipment, physical therapy, preventive services, and physician administered drugs. There are also some limitations as well as costs associated with Part B.
What Medicare Does Not Cover
You may have noticed that several common health care expenses were not mentioned, like routine hearing and exams, vision services, and dental services. These are excluded from coverage under Original Medicare, but there are options available for coverage for these services. We will cover those options as well as a number of other topics as we continue our Medicare FAQ series, so stay tuned.
Should you have specific questions regarding your coverage or need assistance with coverage options, our agents here at VibrantUSA are available year-round to help. Call us today at 866-733-5111. If you are looking for a full run down on the basics of Medicare, we also offer a Medicare 101 webinar twice a month. And you can find the full schedule of those webinars here.
