What is Medicare? 

Medicare is a government insurance program offered to people 65 years or elderly and people with certain disabilities, such as End-Stage Renal Disease.  It assists elder people with aid for medical, vision, dental, hospital and other health related costs.  

How does it work? 

There are two types of Medicare: Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage .

Original Medicare allows you to go to any doctor and facility that accepts Medicare.  This program only covers hospital and medical costs up to 80%, which falls into the Part A & Bof Medicare. There is no limit to what you pay out of pocket. Original Medicare only covers a certain amount of days in the hospital or a facility. As well, Original Medicare rarely covers any out of country medical emergencies. 

Medicare Advantage also known as part C & D can cover dental, vision and prescriptions drugs with also covering hospital and medical costs. This Unlike Original Medicare, Medicare Advantage has an out-of-pocket maximum, which means that after you hit your deductible maximum the plan starts to pay 100% of most of your bills. This plan might also cover out of country emergency medical bills, check with your provider about this.

There is also Part A, Part B and Part D 

Part A covers :

Plan A of Medicare is 

• Inpatient care in a hospital 
• Skilled nursing facility care 
• Nursing home care (inpatient care in a skilled nursing facility that’s not custodial or long-term care) 
• Hospice care 
• Home health care 

Part B covers: 

Breaks into two sections: Medically necessary services & Preventive services 

• Clinical research   
• Ambulance services 
• Durable medical equipment (DME) 
• Mental health 
• Inpatient 
• Outpatient 
• Partial hospitalization 
• Limited outpatient prescription drugs 

Part D covers: 

 Part D covers all prescriptions drugs that you might need.  It is a separate program that only coverages prescribe drugs. It is important to select the best program for your needs.  

Who qualifies for it? 

• Any person of 65 or older age 
• People under 65 with certain disabilities can also qualify
• People with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), which is the permanent kidney failure (either required to do dialysis or a kidney transplant)