Medicare Coverage Benefits

It is important before deciding on what Medicare supplement plan fits best to first understand what the basic Medicare coverage covers.

Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance)

This is a good plan for those who want a little extra cover from standard Medicare but do not plan on using extensive health care.

• Inpatient Hospital Care - This includes nursing care, medical drugs associated with your care, food, a room and other hospital services. However, this does not include extra charge items like a private room, private duty nursing or luxury items such as razors, slipper socks, etc.
• Care in a skilled nursing facility- This only applies after a minimum 3 day stay as a patient in a hospital for a related injury or illness. Also your doctor must verify that you actually need daily care such as IV injections or some extensive physical therapy. Included in this coverage is a room, food, nursing and rehab services and supplies associated with the healing.
• Home health care - In order for Medicare to cover this, it must be ordered by a doctor. You also must be confined to your home, meaning that leaving poses an extreme challenge to you. This however does cover skilled nursing care, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech pathology.
• Hospice care - This is only for people whose doctor has given you a window of 6 months or less of a life expectancy. Your Medicare coverage will include drugs, pain relief, nursing services and symptom management.

There are certain restrictions to what Medicare part A actually covers, and there are a lot of things it does not cover, which is why a Medicare supplemental insurance policy is so important. Fill out our free quote request form to see what policy fits your needs and fills the holes missing.

Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance)

Medicare part B is often referred to as Medical insurance because it covers medical basics such as home health services, doctor visits, some preventive services and outpatient care. To receive Medicare Part B you will pay the standard premium, unless you made a certain amount, then you will have to pay more. The two major services provided by part B are Medical and Preventative. The medical services are services that are needed to treat your medical condition, also the supplies that are needed to treat it as well. The Preventative services are care to prevent an illness or when treating it before hand will help it from getting worse. You can get Part B if you suffer for Lou Gehrig's disease, if you are under 65 and disabled, or if you receive benefits from Social Security or the Railroad Retirement Board.

Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage Plans)

Medicare Advantage Plans are health plan options approved by Medicare approved insurance companies. Advantage plans are how you can take advantage of the services and benefits covered in Part A & Part B. They are also of benefit because they can typically cover Medicare prescription drug coverage (part D). Advantage plans can also include other benefits at no additional cost.

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Medicare Part D (Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage)

You may often need prescription drugs, which is where Medicare Part D comes into play. This can also help lower the cost of overall drug costs and lock in costs so that they may not rise in the future. These plans are ran by Medicare-approved private insurance companies, and as previously mentioned, Medicare Advantage Plans can help cover all of the above.

So, given what you know about the above Medicare plans - it's now time to start thinking about where the holes are, and where you can find improvement. We suggest evaluating the following chart - it offers an informative pacing through the different parts, and should help you decide how to make an educated purchase decision - if it's for you, of course.

If you've come to the decision that Medicare insurance is correct for you, you can read more about our Medicare advantage plans on our Medigap plans information page or insert your zip code below to learn more from one of the many qualified Medicare insurance companies you can shop with on MSI.com.