Medicare : Medicare Basics
Medicare is a federal health insurance program. It’s available to people 65 and older, people under 65 with certain disabilities, and people with end-stage renal disease.
Different parts of Medicare cover different services. The parts of Medicare are:
Part A—Hospital Coverage
Different parts of Medicare cover different services. The parts of Medicare are:
Part A—Hospital Coverage
- Helps cover inpatient hospital care.
- Helps cover care in a skilled nursing facility or hospice.
- Also helps cover home health care.
Part B—Medical Coverage
- Helps cover doctor and outpatient services.
- May cover preventive services to maintain health or keep illnesses from getting worse.
- In many cases, those who have Part B coverage pay a monthly premium.
Part C—Medicare Advantage
- An alternative to the Original Medicare insurance program and administered by the federal government, Part C gives you the option to enroll in a Medicare Advantage health plan offered by private companies such as WellCare.
- Private companies that offer Medicare Advantage plans are approved by Medicare to provide and administer benefits for their members.
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Part C plans cover the same services as Part A and Part B and, in some cases, prescription drug coverage is included as well.
Part D—Prescription Drug Coverage
- Helps cover cost of prescription drugs.
- Offered by private companies like WellCare (requiring a monthly premium).
- May be a stand-alone Prescription Drug Plan, or may be included as part of a Medicare Advantage (Part C) plan.
When it comes to coverage, you have options:
- You can get health services through Original Medicare and select a private Prescription Drug Plan.
- You can get both your health services and prescription drug coverage through a Medicare Advantage plan that offers both.
- You can purchase a Medicare Supplement plan from private insurance companies to cover the gaps in Original Medicare.
Y0070_NA016404_WCM_WEB_ENG CMS Approved 10272011
Last modified: 10/27/2011
