Medicare Eligibility And Plans

September 29th, 2009 Medicare medicare and ppo, medicare insurance plans, medicare part a ppo, medicare part b ppo, medicare part c ppo, medicare part d ppo, medicare ppo

Our Federal government founded Medicare in 1965 to be a safety net for older Americans who could no longer afford premium health care insurance.

You are eligible if you:

- have worked 10 years or more and paid Social Security taxes
- are age 65 (if you are younger than 65 you can qualify if you have certain disabilities or end-stage renal disease)
- are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident

The four parts of Medicare

Medicare comes in 4 parts: Part A, B, C and D. Very simply they cover these medical costs:

Part A covers hospital benefits up to around 75% of medical costs. Hospital benefits include medicare-certified hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, hospice care and some other home healthcare agencies. Most do not have to pay for Part A if they meet Medicare qualifications.

Part B covers all other medical care up to 75%. There is a monthly premium, currently set at $96.40 (2009 figure). These services include out of hospital physician services, outpatient services, physical therapy, mental health, ambulance and some medical equipment and supplies. Part B does not cover prescription, routine checkups, hearing aids and other extras. The monthly premium is deducted from your social security check. You must have Medicare Part A to get Part B.

Part C – also known as the “gap plan” – covers what Parts A and B don’t, with one exception, prescriptions.

Part D is Medicare that covers your prescriptions, finally. The best way to find the most cost effective Part D plan is for you to go to your local pharmacist. He or she will be able to check what plans they have for you.
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