Medicare Insurance

Medicare Part A covers inpatient hospital care, time in a skilled nursing care facility, certain home health, and hospice care. The majority of Part A enrollees do not have to pay a monthly fee (premium) to be covered under this part of Original Medicare.

Medicare Part A does not cover the full amount of your hospital bill. You will share in the cost. You must pay a deductible before Medicare benefits begin. Medicare will then pay 100 percent of the cost up to 60 days in a hospital or up to 20 days in a skilled nursing facility. After that, you pay a flat amount up to the maximum covered days. Your Medicare benefits cover a total of 150 days in a hospital and 100 days in a skilled nursing facility.

Part B of Medicare benefits covers non-hospital medical expenses like doctors' office visits, blood tests, X-rays and outpatient hospital care. You pay a monthly fee (premium) for this part of Original Medicare. The fee can be higher for people with high incomes. Medicaid could also help cover your part B premium in most cases.

You share the costs for your medical care. You'll pay a small deductible each year before your Part B Medicare benefits begin. Then you generally pay 20 percent of the bill when you go to a doctor who accepts Medicare. Medicare pays 100 percent of the cost of lab services that help your doctor make a diagnosis.

Part C is Private Insurance. This is called "Medicare Advantage" no matter which private insurance company you go to.
Medicare Advantage is optional, but to have this private insurance, you must also have Medicare Parts A and B (Original Medicare).

While all Medicare Advantage plans must provide all Medicare Part A and Part B benefits, plans can include different additional benefits depending on the private health insurer that offers it. Some plans might have a lower deductible.

Your share of the remaining costs might be lower too. The plan might even cover certain health care services that Original Medicare does not cover like eye exams, hearing aids, dental care or health care received while traveling outside the United States.

This part of your Medicare benefits is optional and you will pay a separate monthly fee for it. Medicare Part D is offered through private insurance companies and the monthly fee varies among insurers. You will share in the costs of your prescription drugs according to the specific plan you enrolled in. Those costs can include a deductible, a flat copay amount, or a percentage of the full drug cost (called "coinsurance").

If you have limited income and cannot afford your medications even with your Part D Medicare benefits, you may qualify for the Extra Help program for financial assistance with your monthly premium, deductible, copay or coinsurance.