Medicare Overview
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Medicare Part A
Medicare Part A covers your hospital expenses. This includes hospital stays, skilled nursing care, hospice, and home health-care services. You may have to pay various deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments. You earn Part A by paying taxes toward Medicare while working for 10 years (or 40 quarters). If you did not earn Part A, you will pay a premium.
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Medicare Part B
Medicare Part B covers services that treat illnesses or conditions such as doctor’s office visits, lab work, x-rays, and outpatient surgeries. It also covers preventive services like cancer screenings and flu shots. Part B also covers medically necessary durable medical equipment such as wheelchairs and walkers to treat a disease or condition. Most people pay a premium for Part B. Even if you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan that provides your Part A and Part B benefits, you will still pay your Part B premium.
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Medicare Part D - Prescription Drugs Plans
Original Medicare doesn’t cover prescription drugs. Although Medicare Part D coverage is optional, it can be valuable if you take medications. You will pay a late-enrollment penalty if you don’t sign up for Medicare Part D Coverage when you are first eligible. You can get Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage either through an independent Prescription Drug Plan (PDP), or through a Medicare Advantage Plan that includes prescription drug coverage.
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Medicare covers many essential health care services through different parts, including hospital care, doctor visits, outpatient services, and preventive care.
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Original Medicare is provided by the federal government and includes Part A (hospital insurance) and Part B (medical insurance).
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Part A covers inpatient hospital care, skilled nursing facility care, hospice care, and some home health services.
Part B covers doctor visits, outpatient services, preventive care, diagnostic tests, and medically necessary equipment.
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Original Medicare does not include prescription drug coverage. You can add a Medicare Part D plan or choose a Medicare Advantage plan that includes drug coverage.
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Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans are offered by private insurers and combine Part A and Part B, often with prescription drug coverage and additional benefits.
Medigap (Medicare Supplement Insurance) helps pay certain out-of-pocket costs that Original Medicare doesn’t cover, such as deductibles, copays, and coinsurance.
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You can choose Original Medicare (Parts A & B) and add a Part D prescription drug plan, a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plan, or both.
Or, you can enroll in a Medicare Advantage (Part C) plan, which combines Part A and Part B and often includes prescription drug coverage. -
Medicare costs may include monthly premiums and a share of your health care expenses.
Out-of-pocket costs can include deductibles, copays, and coinsurance, depending on the services you use and the plan you choose.
Frequently Asked Questions
Before choosing a plan we want to be sure you know the difference between your many options; In particular how Medicare Supplements and Medicare Advantage Plans differ. Many people sign up for Advantage Plans thinking they are Supplements, they are not.
We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options. This is a proprietary website and is not associated, endorsed or authorized by the Social Security Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services or the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. This site contains decision-support content and information about Medicare, services related to Medicare and services for people with Medicare. If you would like to find more information about the Medicare program please visit the Official U.S. Government Site for People with Medicare located at https://www.medicare.gov