What is Medicare?
Medicare is a government health insurance program that was created in 1965. The goal of the program is to provide health care for anyone that is 65 or older. It can also cover those who have some disabilities or certain levels of kidney failure. Medicare does provide protection for many different medical costs, but it won’t cover everything. For example, most long-term care isn’t covered.
What Medicare covers
There are multiple parts of Medicare. Part A covers expenses when you are admitted into a hospital. It can also cover skilled nursing care or home health care under certain circumstances. Once eligible to enroll in Medicare, most people can get these benefits with no extra fee because they have worked long enough to pay in the required Medicare taxes. When you sign up for Part A, you can also signup for Part B.
Part B will cover medical bills like doctor visits and other medical supplies and services. This is optional and does require an extra paid premium. However, this can get a bit more complicated, which is one of the reasons you should also talk to a local agent knowledgeable about Medicare.
When Do I enroll?
It is a great idea to contact an agent around 3 months before you turn 65. It is important to not put this off. Again, it is free to work with an agent, so this is the recommended route you should take.
What doesn’t Medicare cover?
There are certain expenses that Medicare won’t generally cover. Here is a list of services that usually won’t be covered.
- Dental care and dentures
- Some immunizations (some are covered by Part B or by Part D)
- Prescription drugs (Part D will cover these, but this is optional)
- Routine foot care
- Medical services outside of the U.S.
- Hearing aids and glasses
- Cosmetic surgery
- Experimental Procedures
This isn’t everything that may not be covered, but these are some of the most common services that people ask about. Again, in some situations some of these would be covered, but it depends on the circumstance.
While it may seem confusing, the good news is that you don’t have to figure it all out on your own. Work with a local agent that you can trust, and you will get the plans that will cover the medical expenses you need at an affordable price!