What services does Medicare cover?

Understanding Insurance

You’ve probably heard that Medicare doesn’t cover everything. But what does Medicare cover? Original Medicare – now called Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B – provides your basic hospital and medical coverage. The following are the types of services covered under Parts A and B:

Medicare Part A – Hospital insurance

This portion of your plan pays benefits for the following services:

• Inpatient hospital stays
• Inpatient skilled nursing facility care, except for custodial or long-term care
• Home health services for part-time care, including:
  • Skilled nursing care
  • Physical therapy
  • Speech therapy
• Hospice care

Medicare Part B – Medicare insurance

This portion of your plan pays benefits for:

• Doctors’ services
• Outpatient hospital services
• Medical services and supplies
• Home health services
• Certain preventive care

What else should you know?

In order for Medicare to cover your healthcare services, your providers must meet certain requirements, such as:

• The hospital participates in the Medicare program
• Your doctor accepts Medicare assignments
• At-home and hospice providers are Medicare-approved
• Services and supplies are covered by Medicare

Remember: certain expenses will still be your responsibility:

• Monthly premiums
• Annual deductibles
• Coinsurance
• Co-payments
• Services or supplies not approved by Medicare
• Charges above the Medicare-approved amount
• Dental care
• Vision care and eyeglasses
• Long-term care
• Ongoing home healthcare

For more information, read our recent Medicare blog post or watch our Medicare Supplement video:

Read more about what Medicare Supplement insurance can do for you or talk to a Bankers Life agent to learn more.