Medicare Part A
Medicare Part A is the insurance plan that covers hospital stays and services as well as stays in skilled nursing facilities, walkers and wheelchairs, hospice care, and skilled home-care.
Medicare Part A covers inpatient costs.
Always find out if you’re an inpatient or outpatient since this will affect your coverage.
Medicare Part B
This is also part of ‘original Medicare’, covering your doctor services and preventive healthcare, like yearly doctor visits and tests. People often get both Parts A and B to get the most coverage. Part B covers a wide range of expenses, including:
- Screening for cancer, diabetes and more
- Ambulance and emergency services
- Vaccinations like influenza and hepatitis v
- Electrocardiograms (ECGs)
- Medical equipment
- Certain drugs, and some eyewear prescriptions
Medicare Part C
This is also called a Medicare Advantage plan, which is a private insurance run supplemental plan that provides more coverage for an additional cost. They are approved by Medicare and fill in the gaps in services and hospital care. To have Medicare Part C, you must already be enrolled with Parts A and B. Under Part C, you get prescription drug coverage, some dental and eye coverage, as well as other benefits. You usually have to pay a premium for these plans, and only see doctors within your network.
Medicare Part D
This is the plan that covers prescription drugs that aren’t covered by Part B (typically the kind of medications that are administered by a doctor). This is optional, but many choose to have it anyway so that all their medications are covered. The cost of this plan differs depending on the kinds of medications you take, the plan you have, and the pharmacy you choose. Along with a premium, depending on your income, you may also have to pay for additional costs.
You may also need to make copayments or pay a specific deductible amount.
What Isn’t Covered
While Medicare Parts A, B, C, and D cover a wide range of healthcare requirements, not everything is always covered. Most dental care costs, eye exam costs, hearing aid costs, acupuncture, and other cosmetic surgeries that aren’t required are not covered by Medicare Parts A and B.
Long-term care isn’t covered by Medicare either. If you think you or a loved one may need long-term care in the future, consider getting a separate long-term care insurance policy.
