Isn’t it confusing when doctors and other medical practitioners spew loads of expressions we don’t really understand? Well, I don’t care to know them all. However, some are very important for our wellbeing. Some hours ago I was arguing with Dr. Andre Peals on one nasty topic when an elderly woman came in. She explained some benefits she is currently enjoying from something she called “Medicare part B”. At first, I was totally detached from their conversation, not until I slightly heard the word ” free”. Actually, I don’t joke with free things. Because She muddled up several things she said, the summary was pretty vague. But I knew she was saying something very important. It’s something everyone should know about. Thereafter, I had to make some researches both from the Doctor and on the internet and came up with this post.
MEDICARE
Just in case you don’t know what Medicare is, I’ll briefly explain. It is a kind of health insurance policy that is majorly funded by the government to help the populace enjoy standard and affordable health care services. Medicare part B is specially designed for the old ones. What is more?
MEDICARE PART B:
This is simply a health insurance scheme created to help and support Medicare part A which basically covers hospitalization. Medicare part B pairs with Medicare Part A to ensure that you enjoy very affordable and easy healthcare services.
What does Medicare Part B cover?
It covers all your routine healthcare necessities. These includes
- Ambulance services and emergencies.
- Outpatients services, these are services rendered when you visit a doctor for treatment without spending the night there.
- Prophylactic checkups. These are services rendered you visit the hospital for preventive measures.
A handbook called “Medicare and you” contains the list of all preventive services covered by Medicare Part B.
The link below gives you access to this book. Simply clicks to download in PDF format. Perhaps after you finish reading this post.
http://www.medicare.gov/medicare-and-you/medicare-and-you.html
WHAT ARE THE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR MEDICARE PART B?
You must be a legal citizen of the USA.
Or at least a legal resident that has been living in the USA for at least five years.
AT WHAT AGE ARE YOU ELIGIBLE?
You must be at least sixty-five years old.
So the majority of persons that enjoy Medicare part B are mostly retirees. You might also wonder.
WHAT IF A PERSON IS NOT YET 65? CAN HE OR SHE BENEFIT FROM MEDICARE PART B?
Yes, on only one condition. If the person is disabled.
Now you can obviously see that it is a medically helpful arrangement. However, a lot depends solely on the cost incurred by it. How much does it cost?
For most services, you pay 20% of the actual cost. At an average, Medicare Part B costs around $130 per annum for most persons that registered before 2018.
In 2018 it costs about $134, However, this amount is not fixed. It is bound to increase with time. Also, some very high income individuals do pay more.
I’m glad to tell you that you can protect yourself from the annual increment of this insurance. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the payment will never increase. However, it does mean that there is a limit to its potential increment. Because it is absolutely impossible for the increment to be higher than the rate at which your social security benefits increases. It implies that this insurance will always be affordable for those who receive social security benefits. More than 70 percent of those who receive Social Security Benefits pay significantly less than the general annual average payment. I’m pretty sure that reading this post to the end implies that you’ve improved your understanding of Medicare part B.
Of course, if you do have specific questions, feel free to send me a message or give me a call.
REFERENCES
Here are some helpful URLs
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicare