Part A
The Foundations of Medicare Part A
The majority of the people who currently have Medicare are enrolled in Parts A and B. Together, A and B make up a plan that is referred to as Original Medicare which provides coverage for inpatient and outpatient medical care. Expenses that result from care received in a hospital, skilled nursing facility, or at home will typically be covered with Medicare Part A. Any costs that result from routine care, doctors’ visits, prescription drugs, and outpatient care will not be covered.
As with any health insurance, the cost is always on the mind of beneficiaries. With Medicare Part A, policyholders still need to pay a portion of the cost for medical care, however, they may qualify for no premiums. Monthly premiums for Part A are usually waived if you have enough credits. Credits are normally earned on a quarterly basis for every three months you work in the United States. If your total work tenure is greater than 10 years, you may have your premiums greatly reduced or erased completely. Since you would have no monthly premium, then the responsibility of filing Medicare claims falls on the suppliers and doctors.
Coverages Provided by Medicare Part A
The main reason Medicare Part A was created was to offer beneficiaries coverage for inpatient care and services they received at a hospital. As a result, expenses for nursing services, medications, semi-private rooms, meals, and other policy-specific services were drastically lowered. Many of the following places accept Medicare Part A and will help you with using the coverage for services at their facility:
- Inpatient rehabilitation facilities
- Acute care hospitals
- Mental health care facilities
- Critical access hospitals
- Qualifying clinical research studies and trials
In order for Medicare Part A benefits to take effect, you must have already stayed in a hospital’s inpatient wing for more than three days. Skilled nursing facilities are an option for patients whose doctors feel need long-term constant care throughout the day. Those that do need to go to one of these special facilities will be glad to know that Medicare will cover the following:
- Semi-private rooms
- Rehabilitation services
- Meals
- Medical social services
- Dietary counseling
- Ambulance transportation if needed
Another benefit of the Medicare Part A plan is that it offers a decent amount of benefits for home health care services. While it won’t cover any expenses associated with homemaker services, meals, or 24-hour home care, there are still several areas it will help with. For example, if you are in need of occupational therapy, speech-language pathology services, physical therapy, intermittent skilled nursing care, and durable medical devices then Part A can help cover some of the costs.
We're Here to Help!
Have Questions About Part A?
Qualifying for Medicare insurance is easy, determining whether it or any of its parts are right for you can be more difficult. The talented agents at Advanced Insurance Concepts have spent the last couple of decades helping clients through the enrollment process. To learn more about your Medicare options, give us a call today at 816-476-8191.