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Parts Of Medicare

Medicare Part A (Hospital)

Medicare Part A is awarded to individuals who have worked 40 quarters (or 10 years) and is offered at no-cost if the work requirements are met.

This is called "premium-free" Part A.

You can qualify for "premium-free" Part A if:
  • You are age 65, or older, and collect Social Security benefits...
  • You are age 65 and are eligible for Social Security benefits, but choose no to collect yet...
  • You are age 65, and you (or your spouse) have Medicare-covered Government employment...
  • ​You are under age 65 and have been collecting Social Security disability income (SSDI) for at least 24 months...
  • ​You are under age 65 and have End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) and meet certain criteria.
If you DO NOT meet those requirements for "premium-free" Part A, you can buy Medicare Part A for a monthly cost depending on how long you, or your spouse, did pay taxes from active employment.

Medicare Part A Coverage

Medicare Part A is classified and considered 'Hospital' coverage and generally covers:
  • Inpatient care in a hospital facility...
  • Skilled Nursing / Rehab facility care...
  • Nursing home care (not considered custodial or long-term care)...
  • ​Hospice care
  • ​Home healthcare services

Medicare Part B (Medical)

Medicare Part B is an elected choice for those who meet the Medicare Part A requirements.

There are three (3) common situations and scenarios when you will NEED to sign up for Medicare Part B:
  • You are turning 65, retiring, and will not have employee health insurance as a retiree from your employer...
  • You are older than 65, are now retiring, and need Medicare because you will not have employee health insurance as a retiree from your employer...
  • ​You are younger than 65, and have been collecting Social Security disability income (SSDI) for more than 24 months.
More and more common for Baby Boomers born after 1957 is continuing to work past 65.

You will likely have the choice if you can and should sign up for Medicare, or cannot or should not sign up and wait to sign up later in life.
  • You sit down with me and share your situation to discover the cost andcoverage of Medicare is more financial favorable than paying for the health insurance plan your Employer provides...
  • You are working past 65 at an Employer which employees less than 20 active employees...
  • ​You are told by your Employer HR rep / benefits coordinator they require you to sign up for Medicare Part B.

Medicare Part B Coverage

Medicare Part B is classified and considered 'Medical' coverage and generally covers:
  • Medically necessary services as an outpatient...
  • Medically necessary medical supplies...
  • Preventative services, shots, and screenings...

        Medicare Part D (Drug)

        Medicare Part D coverage is specifically only for prescription drugs, where you and an insurance company of your choice, share in the cost of buying your medications.

        This should ideally make your drugs less expensive, and save you money, but is not always the case.

        There are a three (3) ways to add a prescription drug plan (PDP) to your Original Medicare Part A and Part B coverage:
        • But a "stand-alone" PDP, along with Original Medicare Part A and Part B...
        • Buy a "stand-alone" PDP, along with Original Medicare Part A and Part B, AND also buy a Medicare Supplement insurance policy...
        • Buy a Medicare Advantage plan (MAPD) which includes prescription drug coverage (also known as 'Part C'...
        Each option above for prescription drug coverage has pros and cons.

        What will work best for you, will be directly determined by your particular prescriptions, pharmacy preference, and what you're willing to spend.

        Medicare Supplement (Medigap)

        Medicare Supplement policies are sometimes known as "Medigap" plans.

        The idea with Medigap is the policy you pick should cover the 20% "gap" which Original Medicare does not pay for under categories Part A (Hospital) and Part B (Medical), like an umbrella policy.

        With Medigap coverage,  Original Medicare is still considered your "primary payer" and your Medigap policy is considered your "secondary payer" which means as long as you keep paying your monthly premium, you shouldn't keep being billed each and every time you receive care.

        Because Original Medicare is your "primary payer," you have no network restrictions, like an HMO or PPO, and you can enjoy what we consider, "Universal Access."

        This means you can see any doctor or use and hospital, nationwide, without prior authorization or referral, as long as they accept Medicare.

        Of course, the flexibility and freedom of Medigap, over the more common Medicare Advantage plans, does come with paying a higher monthly price.

        While your premiums may be noticeably and notably higher, you do get what you pay for.

              Medicare Advantage (Part C)

              Medicare Advantage plans are approved additional coverage by the Centers of Medicare Services (CMS) offered to you by private insurance companies.

              This is an alternative to Original Medicare, where you replace Original Medicare as your "primary payer" and, instead, use the company of your choice.

              Many WNY'ers have an advantage choosing an advantage plan, where both Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B, along with Medicare Part D are bundled together to create an "all-in-one" plan sometimes called, Medicare Part C.

              Medicare Part C style coverage can reduce your overall out-of-pocket expenses when compared to Original Medicare by offering you fixed copays, if and when you received care.

              Think of it as "pay as you go."

              All Medicare Part C plans must meet Original Medicare minimum requirements, but many often exceed these baseline levels and offer you enhanced and enriched benefits, like dental, vision, hearing, gym memberships, healthy product credit cards, and much, much more.

              And, unlike Medicare Supplement policies where you have "Universal Access," Medicare Advantage plans, in most cases, require you to use the doctors, hospitals, testing facilities, pharmacies, etc which are in their network.

              While this may sound restrictive, as long as you do your due diligence and research and review all companies and coverage choices available to you by zip code, you will --- without a doubt --- identify more than one option that will work with your situation and scenario from a highly rated company, at a price you can afford.

              What Do You Want To Learn Next?

              You Can Feel Confident Knowing What To Do With Medicare.

              I Can Take Away The Stress Of Trying To Tackle It On Your Own.

              Figuring out all the fine print with Medicare doesn't need to feel stressful. You don't have to spend your scarce free time at home, alone, in isolation, relying on your own assumptions and hit-or-miss guesses, attempting to do-it-yourself.

              Confidently knowing exactly what to do (and when) with Medicare is the key to avoiding future fines and fees and only my Medicare SmartStart Program™ will show you how.

              If you don't have the time or the desire to deal with Medicare directly, and want a BETTER, SMARTER, time-saving solution to short-cut hours of your own trial and error so you know --- without question --- you aren't messing anything up making a mistake...

              Let me put my proven Medicare SmartStart Program™ to work for you - for FREE!

              Click the link below to take the next step and schedule a complimentary Medicare SmartStart Strategy Session with me --- it's that easy!

              You Can Feel Confident Knowing What To Do With Medicare.

              I Can Take Away The Stress Of Trying To Tackle It On Your Own.

              Figuring out all the fine print with Medicare doesn't need to feel stressful. You don't have to spend your scarce free time at home, alone, in isolation, relying on your own assumptions and hit-or-miss guesses, attempting to do-it-yourself.

              Confidently knowing exactly what to do (and when) with Medicare is the key to avoiding future fines and fees and only my Medicare SmartStart Program will show you how.

              If you don't have the time or the desire to deal with Medicare directly, and want a BETTER, SMARTER, time-saving solution to short-cut hours of your own trial and error so you know --- without question --- you aren't messing anything up making a mistake...

              Let me put my proven Medicare SmartStart Program to work for you. 

              Click the link below to take the next step and schedule a complimentary Medicare SmartStart Strategy Session with me --- it's that easy!

              Get Started For FREE!

              medicare help sign up for Medicare Part B Erie county
              Who Is Andrew Hibbard?
              Since 2015, Andrew has helped over 850+ Western New Yorkers through his nationally recognized Medicare SmartStart Program™, taking away all the stress from folks trying to tackle Medicare on their own. His impressive record of success has been gotten Andrew featured in Forever Young Magazine and the BEE Group Newspapers, exclusive interviews on WECK Radio's Senior Matter's Program, and author an #1 Amazon best-selling guidebook on the subject, "Starting Medicare Smartly," revealing how the rules specifically and significantly differ for NY residents versus other states.
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