What is Medicare?
A federal system of health insurance for people over 65 years of age and for certain younger people with disabilities.
Broken into parts;
- Original Medicare
- Supplemental
- Prescription Drugs
- Medicare Advantage Plans
What is not covered:
- Deductibles, coinsurance, or copayments when health care services are provided (unless have a MediGap Policy).
- Dental ,Vision, Hearing and Podiatry (with only a few exceptions).
- Custodial care at home or in a nursing home (LTC).
- Health care outside of the United States (except in limited cases – unless have a MediGap Policy).
- Routine or yearly physical exams.
When did Medicare start;
- Medicare was passed into law on July 30, 1965
- Beneficiaries were first able to sign-up for the program on July 1, 1966.
Who was the first person to receive Medicare:
Who receives Medicare;
- Benefits are available to all U.S. residents, but they must be a permanent resident of the United States and have at least 10 years of working history, meaning they have paid into Social Security.
- Also, beneficiaries must be either 65 years old or permanently disabled while receiving Social Security benefits.
- Individuals with end-stage kidney disease who require dialysis or a kidney transplant are also eligible for Medicare.
Traditionally, the Open Enrollment Period for Medicare Advantage AND Medicare prescription drug coverage could only be done between November 15 & December 31 but for this year and going forward the enrollment period has been changed to October 15 through December 7.
For a qucik reference pamphlet on Medicare please click here; Medicare Brochure
Medicare eligibility tool can be found here
For more detailed information on Medicare please see HealthView Services’ Medicare Breakdown or go to www.medicare.gov.
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