Medicare is a federal program that pays for certain health care expenses for people aged 65 or older. Enrolled individuals must pay deductibles and co-payments, but much of their medical costs are covered by the program. Medicare is less comprehensive than some other health care programs, but it is an important source of post-retirement health care. Medicare is divided into three parts. Part A covers hospital bills , Part B covers doctor bills, and Part C provides the option to choose from a package of health care plans .
Medi-Caid is a U.S. health insurance program that provides care to qualifying people who cannot pay for their own medical expenses. Medicaid covers hospital stays, doctor visits, emergency room visits, prenatal care, prescription drugs, and other treatments. Medicaid is jointly funded by both the federal government and each individual state.
Medigap is health insurance that supplements the benefits covered under Medicare. It also fills in some of the gaps left by Medicare, such as your deductible and coinsurance contributions. Sold by private insurance companies, Medigap insurance is offered in 10 different versions, Plans A through J, with each providing a different level of coverage.
Plan A covers the following basic benefits:
- Your coinsurance contribution for hospital visits that Medicare covers
- Full coverage for 365 additional hospital days for use after Medicare's coverage of 60 days is used up
- Your coinsurance contribution on doctors' bills that Medicare covers
- The first three pints of blood you may need in a year (Medicare pays for any additional blood)
Plans B through J cover the same basic benefits, plus some extra benefits that include different combinations of the following:
- The hospital deductible for visits that Medicare covers
- Daily coinsurance contribution for skilled nursing facility care
- The deductible for doctors' services that Medicare covers
- Eighty percent of emergency medical costs that are needed during the first two months of a trip outside the United States
- The difference between your doctor's fee and Medicare's allowance
- Custodial care, working together with Medicare's coverage
- Some prescription drug benefits
- Routine annual medical checkups and other preventive care
Some of the benefits not covered by Medigap include long-term nursing home care, and vision and dental care. Medigap will follow Medicare in excluding what is unnecessary or experimental.
If you are covered by your former employer's health insurance plan, you may not need Medigap. For the most part, that health insurance policy, combined with Medicare, is a complete coverage package.
I cannot find any information on Medi-care .
