Medicare is broken into four different coverage parts A-D. Part A is basically hospital insurance. It covers hospital stays, skilled nursing facility, home health, and hospice care [1]. Part A is free for people in need if they have worked and paid Social Security taxes for at least 40 calendar quarters (10 years) [2]. For those who have worked but paid less taxes, are subjected to pay a monthly premium to receive the benefits of Part A. Part B is considered medical insurance, which covers most medically necessary doctors’ services [1]. This would be preventive care, durable medical equipment, hospital outpatient services, laboratory tests, x-rays, mental health care, and some home health and ambulance services [1]. Kaiser Family stated that …show more content…
Preventive Services Task Force” [2]. Plan A and B are very beneficial to the elderly and people with disabilities, since they are the main demographic that takes part in these care options. Part C of Medicare refers to the private health insurance companies that provide Medicare benefits. The Medicare private health plans, such as health maintenance organization (HMO) and preferred provider organization (PPO), are known as Medicare Advantage Plans [1]. Medicare Advantage Plans should offer at least the same benefits as Original Medicare, but can do so with different rules, costs, and coverage restrictions [1]. There is an option to choose the original Medicare or the Medicare Advantage Plan, it should be picked based on which coverage fits your preference. Just like part A and B the part may require you to pay a monthly premium for the coverage. The final part for Medicare is Part D, which is outpatient Prescription Drug Insurance. Part D is provided only through private insurance companies that have contracts with the government including both stand-alone prescription drug plans (PDPs) and Medicare Advantage drug plans (MA-PD plans)