What will my medicare pay for?

Question

I just got medicare insurance for my Bipolar disabilty. I have to pay a premium each month for it. What about when i go and see all my doctors and go and get my prescriptions for all my meds, will I have to pay money for my medications and when I see my doctors will I have to pay a copay? Also If I was too get hospitalized again will I have to pay for that too? I tried asking the medicare number that I was assigned to all of these questions but it was a long phone wait so I wanted to see if anyone knew any information on it on here. I am on medicare part A and medicare part B so any information that anyone has on medicare, I would like to know all about because I know absolutley nothing about Medicare. Thanks so much in advance =]

Answer 1

Medicare is available by phone 24 hours 7 days a week so try calling during the night to get some of your questions answered without the long wait.

Right now, it sounds like you have Medicare Part A which covers in-patient hospitalization. You do not have a premium for Part A. However, Part A has a  large deductible over $1000 the first time during the calendar year you are in-patient and that deductible re-occurs more than once during a year. Otherwise, your inpatient services are paid at 80%.

If you took Part B, you are paying a premium which you might be having deducted from social security disability payments or medicare premiums. If they aren't automatically being deducted from a government check being  sent to you, make sure your Part B premiums are paid monthly. Part B pays for outpatient services such as doctor's visit. Part B will pay 50% of a mental health visit and you will have to pay the 50%.  

Since you can there are many out of pockets costs you have even with Medicare Part A&B, it might be a good idea to purchase a medicare supplement. A medicare supplement picks up everything that was not paid by medicare.  A medicare supplement is normally $200 per month.

Neither Medicare Part A nor Part B pay for prescription medications. You can purchase Medicare Part D for prescription coverage or you can ask your doctor if he or she has already arranged for your medications to be provided for you.

Good luck. I hope you continue to feel well.

Answer 2

You're going to have too many questions for us to answer here.  You're going to have to call the number and ask.

Yes, there are copays and deductibles with Medicare.   If you don't have a prescription plan, it's not going to cover your meds.

Answer 3

With Medicare you have a $1024 per occurence deductible for Part A (hospital). This means if you go into the hospital 5 times in one year you could have 5 deductibles. There is also a daily copay starting at day 60 of $256 per day. There is a $135 annual deductible plus 20% coinsurance for Part B (medical).

You can get rid of the deductibles and most of the co-insurance if you get on Part C (Medicare Advantage Plans). Many companies have plans with a low or even a $0 premium depending on your location and the type of plan. These plans do have a small co-pay for most doctor and outpatient visits and a larger co-pay for hospitalization.

Original Medicare does not cover medications unless they are administered in the doctor's office or hospital. For prescriptions you need Part D (drug coverage). There will be an additional premium plus co-pays for most medications. The copay will depend upon the medication and the tier level of the medication, as well as which company you get. Many Medicare Advantage plans also include Part D.

You should visit a local agent that works with most of the senior plans in your area. The agent can help you figure out which plans are the best for your situation and budget. There is no extra charge using an agent.

Answer 4

Head to www.medicare.gov