What to Know about Medicare Health Insurance

Medicare and Medicaid were developed by the federal government to help provide beneficiaries with good, affordable health care.  There are Medicare health insurance plans and prescription drug plans that will help to cover your medical expenses, hospital expenses and prescription drug costs.

One of the features of Medicare health insurance plans is the two year program of preventive services covered by Medicare.  Many tests and screenings are included, such as bone density screenings, colorectal cancer screenings, abdominal aortic aneurysm screenings, colonoscopies, diabetes screenings, and cardiovascular screenings.  It also covers flu and hepatitis B shots, glaucoma tests, mammograms, HIV screenings, yearly wellness visits, pap and pelvic tests, prostate cancer screenings and counseling for quitting smoking.

You are eligible for Medicare when you are 65 years of age, have worked and earned Medicare benefits for 10 years or more and have been a citizen of the U.S. for at least 5 years.

Even if you are still working and have health insurance through your employer, you should sign up for Medicare Part A when you turn 65.  It may pay for some of the expenses that your employer’s health insurance plan does not cover.  You will probably want to wait to sign up for Medicare Part B however, as you will have to pay the premium for it and it may not benefit you as long as you have health insurance through your job.
You can get all the information you require on Medicare and Medicaid and get answers to your questions on the Medicare website online.  You can find out about new programs and legislation such as the Extra Help Program, which provides services for low income patients with limited resources.  With the Extra Help Program you can even get help paying your co-pays and deductibles.  It also helps with the cost of prescription drugs.