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Monday, July 13, 2009

Medicare Part A and Part B Combined with a Medicare Supplement Plan

By Derrick Johnson

The majority of individuals carry Medicare Part A along with Medicare Part B. By combing these two parts of Medicare the individual has coverage for all areas of Medicare. When combined these two parts of Medicare together provide comprehensive coverage yet it is not complete protection

Until 2003 Medicare has not provided coverage for outpatient prescription medications. The Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act was signed into law in 2003. The new program did not begin until 2006. Laws passed by Congress allow Medicare the right to determine what it will and will not cover including prescription medications. One must fully understand the program as all medical treatments are subject to Medicare approval.

The responsibilities of Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B are different from one another and subject to different limitations and deductibles. Participating in both portions of Medicare is similar to being protected by two different insurance plans. As if that's not confusing enough, participants in Medicare Advantage really have three separate plans.

Medical necessity is required for Medicare to provide coverage and the treatment must be deemed appropriate for the medical condition. Standard medical guidelines as dictated by health-care professionals are used to determine the appropriate level of care. Un-orthodox and unusual treatments are typically not covered by Medicare. The insured has the right to appeal a Medicare denial if they do not agree with the Medicare denial.

Medigap or Medicare Supplemental Insurance will only pay a claim if Medicare first accepts the expense as a reasonable charge.

Plan letters A-L are being used to identify the 12 Medicare Supplement plan choices. All plans labeled with the identical letter do the exact same thing. The only difference is that one company may charge substantially more for the same plan letter that another company is offering.

The Plan F has been the most widely purchased of the twelve plan choices for many years. The primary reason that most people have purchased Plan F is the fact that it covers 100% of excess medical expenses. Excess expenses are those charges which exceed the Medicare approved Part B amount. Actually, after careful analysis this may not be necessary because the majority of all physicians and hospitals except the Medicare allowable charge. Plan D or Plan C may therefore be a better choice if the premium is substantially lower than the Plan F premium.

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