If you are a young person, you probably haven’t heard yet about Medicare, but you need to be informed because your parents or grandparents probably need it. Under the term of Medicare, there is a simple explanation of what it is – a health insurance program of the USA for the people who already have 65 years, or they are older than that.
At the same time, this program covers some medical services and help for disabled people, if they are suitable, following the conditions of the Social Security Administration of the United States of America. That means, people who are retired because of their age, but also those who did that younger due to different reasons, have a few insurance plans available, so they can have most of the medical treatments and interventions covered, following the conditions in the contract.
There are four plans available: A, B, C, and D, and they cover different medical fields. The first two is part of the Original Medicare, and C is part of Medicare Advantage (also known as managed Medicare too), and there is another one, known as and D. Here is what they cover:
- Plan A: hospital treatments and stays, and nursing
- Plan B: mostly covers the doctor bills and administrative expenses
- Plan C: offers more coverage to interventions and treatments
- Plan D: it’s about prescription drugs and treatments
At the first moment, it may look like nuclear physics, but once you reach the age for that, you will have to understand how all of them work. As we said, once the person turns 65, they qualify for the original plan. At the same time, some people think that Medicare Advantage is better for them, especially when they need to pay regular visits to their doctors, due to chronic conditions, or they need to take pills to treat it throughout their whole life.
In general, the original one is the federal insurance, and the second one is private insurance, and if something is not covered with the first one, every patient who is applicable, can choose the Medicare Advantage plan. The original plan includes the A and B, and very often D too, because hospital treatments, laboratory examinations, and home visits go together with the prescription drugs.
If you choose part C, no matter what are the reasons for that, you will get a few offers, that contain different packs of medical services, and you can take those who are suitable for your general condition. The private insurance agencies often allow you to move from one plan to another, as long as you pay the monthly or yearly fees.
Also, you need to get informed if the hospital or medical institution together with the doctors who work there, accepts the basic original plans, or you need additional money to cover your treatment. Also, you may have some problems, since a lot of primary care doctors don’t accept new Medicare patients, so it’s better for you to plan in advance, and choose a good family doctor before you retire.
The USA’s medical care and insurance system are very complicated for those who aren’t part of it, and you must be constantly informed about everything, so you won’t miss something when you reach the needed age, or have to move to some of the plans we talk about due to disabilities, or health issues and conditions that led to early retirement. Also, you can visit HealthMarkets so you can compare different plans, optimize them according to your needs, check where you can use your insurance, and save money.
Which one is better?
No one can tell that until you exactly know which services you need at the moment. But, surely it’s better to take some of the plans that cover the interventions and drugs you regularly need. As you get older, your immune response is getting weaker, and the whole body works differently.
That’s why some elderly people have a lot of health issues and need to take their therapy every day, so they can live a normal life. We can’t give you exact advice on which insurance Medicare plans to choose because you need to check all the possibilities and see what you need. When you exactly know which hospitals, treatments, and drugs you need to stay healthy, it would be easier for you to decide which plan is better.
Original Medicare contains the traditional insurance medical program, and it’s provided by the federal government. You can use it in public healthcare institutions, but some of the private hospitals may accept it too. The prices of the services can be different, depending on the type of medical center, if it’s participating, or non-participating.
If you use the Medicare Advantage option, you are getting a membership card with a number, that you show to the medical providers, doctors, or hospitals. People often choose it because it covers some expenses that are not included in parts A, B, and D.
Another one thing you must be aware of is that these plans aren’t the same in every area in the USA, and you must take that in mind when you are choosing the proper pack. You must get informed which rules apply to your area, and according to that, make the right combination for your health insurance after retirement. The OM plans may not be completely available in every part of the United States, but the MA plans generally apply in every state. Some of the services are limited in rural areas, and you should keep in mind this fact, especially if you want to move from the big city after retirement.
If you are young right now, at this moment, you may think it’s too early to think about this. But, the time goes by pretty fast, and one day you will live your last years as a worker, and you must take care of yourself after that. So, stay informed, and don’t mind estimating how much you can afford, and even better, take care of yourself so you can have fewer health issues when you get older.
