Medicare covers many of your health care needs. Today’s Medicare is working with private companies approved by Medicare that provide different ways to get your healthcare and prescription drug coverage in the Medicare Program. The Medicare plan that you choose affects many things like cost, benefits, doctor choice, convenience, and quality. Your Medicare plan choices include:

The Original Medicare Plan

This is a fee-for-service plan that covers many healthcare services and certain drugs. You can go to any doctor or hospital that accepts Medicare. When you get your health care, you use your red, white, and blue Medicare card.
The Original Medicare Plan pays for many healthcare services and supplies, but it doesn’t pay all of your healthcare costs. There are costs that you must pay, like coinsurance, copayments, and deductibles. These costs are called “gaps” in Medicare coverage. You might want to consider buying a Medigap policy to cover these gaps in Medicare coverage. You can also add prescription drug coverage by joining a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan.

Medicare Advantage Plans – Available in many areas

If you have one of these plans, you don’t need a Medigap policy. These plans include:

Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO), Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO), Private Fee-for-Service Plans, Medicare Special Needs Plans, and Medicare Medical Savings Account Plans (MSA)

These plans may cover more services and have lower out-of-pocket costs than the Original Medicare Plan. Some plans cover prescription drugs. In some plans, like HMOs, you may only be able to see certain doctors or go to certain hospitals to get covered services. Call or email for more information on Medicare Advantage Plans.

Medicare Supplement (Medigap) Plans – Available in many areas

Medigap is Medicare Supplement Insurance that can help to fill the "gaps" in Original Medicare healthcare coverage and is sold by private companies. A Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) policy can help pay for some of the healthcare services Original Medicare doesn't cover, including copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles.

If you have Original Medicare and you buy a Medigap policy, here's what happens: Medicare will pay its share of the Medicare-Approved Amount for covered healthcare costs. Then, your Medigap insurance company pays its share. 

Medicare Prescription Drug Plans

These stand-alone plans add prescription drug coverage to the Original Medicare Plan, some Medicare Cost Plans, some Medicare Private Fee-for-Service Plans, and Medicare Medical Savings Account Plans. Call or email me for more information on Medicare.

Need Help Paying for Health Care Costs?

There are wide ranges of healthcare coverage choices that may help pay for some of your healthcare costs. These healthcare choices work with the benefits you have from Medicare. What you choose will affect how much you pay, what benefits you have, which doctors you can see, and other things that may be important to you. For more information about programs that may help pay for some of your healthcare costs, please call or email me today.