Understanding the ABCs of Medicare
Part A, Part B, Part C – learning about Medicare can feel like looking into a bowl of alphabet soup. But to help get the coverage that’s best for you, it’s important to know your choices. And that starts with understanding Medicare’s four basic parts.
Here’s a quick and simple review of the parts of Medicare and what each covers.
Understanding the different parts of Medicare
Part A
Covers in-patient hospital visits and skilled nursing facilities.
Part B
Is for medical coverage, which includes doctor visits, clinic services and care you receive as an outpatient.
Part C
Is another way to describe Medicare Advantage. Part C combines Parts A and B into one plan. Many plans include prescription drug coverage (Part D) as well. These plans often also offer additional benefits such as dental, vision and fitness.
Part D
Covers prescription drugs — including many generic and brand-name prescription medications. Each plan creates a list of the drugs that it covers.
Medicare supplement
Insurance plans, also known as Medigap plans, help pay some of the out-of-pocket costs, such as deductibles, coinsurance and copays, not paid by Original Medicare (Parts A & B).
Once you have the Medicare ABCs down, you can learn how the parts work together so you can help get the coverage you need.
To learn more, visit MedicareEducation.com.
