What is Original Medicare?
Medicare is the federal health insurance program for:
- People who are 65 or older
- Certain younger people with disabilities
- People with End-Stage Renal Disease (permanent kidney failure requiring dialysis or a transplant, sometimes called ESRD)
Required Parts of Medicare
There are three parts of Medicare required or penalties can occur.
Part A - Hospital Insurance
- 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 - Medical Insurance
- Medically necessary services: Services or supplies that are needed to diagnose or treat your medical condition and that meet accepted standards of medical practice.
- Preventive services: Health care to prevent illness (like the flu) or detect it at an early stage, when treatment is most likely to work best.
Part D - Prescription Drug Coverage
Medicare drug coverage helps pay for prescription drugs you need.
- Each plan can vary in cost and specific drugs covered, but must give at least a standard level of coverage set by Medicare.
- Plans have different monthly premiums. How much you pay for each drug depends on which plan you choose.
Most People don't pay a monthly premium for Part A. If you don't qualify for premium-free Part A, you can buy Part A. Everyone pays a monthly fee for Part B - click to see premiums.
Original Medicare includes Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) and Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance). You pay for services as you get them. When you get services, you’ll pay a deductible at the start of each year, and you usually pay 20% of the cost of the Medicare-approved service, called coinsurance. If you want drug coverage, you can add a separate drug plan (Part D).
Original Medicare pays for much, but not all, of the cost for covered health care services and supplies.
Original Medicare pays for much, but not all, of the cost for covered health care services and supplies.
No. You must sign up for Medicare.
If you are currently receiving Social Security retirement benefits when becoming eligible for Medicare coverage, the government will automatically enroll you into Original Medicare A & B only.
If you are currently receiving Social Security retirement benefits when becoming eligible for Medicare coverage, the government will automatically enroll you into Original Medicare A & B only.
If you’re aging into Medicare, you have a seven-month Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) to apply for Medicare: three months before you turn 65, the month you turn 65, and three months after you turn 65. And you must sign up individually for the parts of the program – Parts A, B, C and/or D – that you want.
If you have Creditable Coverage through your active employment, you may have the option to delay enrollment.
If you have Creditable Coverage through your active employment, you may have the option to delay enrollment.
Not usually. Original Medicare (Parts A and B) plans don’t cover most dental services or vision care.
If you applied for Medicare Part A or Part B, you can check the status of your application by logging into your account on the Social Security website. Your application should show up in your profile within 24 hours of submission.
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