chapter 8

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Chapter 8
Before going into the specifics of Medicare, we must first appreciate what the program is. Medicare is an insurance program that was first introduced by the federal government in 1965 to cater to the health needs of senior citizens. To qualify for coverage under Medicare a senior citizen should be at least 65 years old, under 65 years of age, but receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSID) or under 65 with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESD). Medicare is administered by the Centers for Medical and Medicaid Services (CMS), and it has four parts with each part covering a different, specific service CITATION Wha12 l 1033 (What’s Medicare?).
The first part is Medicare Part A, also known as “hospital insurance”. This part covers the cost of inpatient care. Stays at nursing facilities, hospitals (for at least a single night), home health care and hospice care are partly covered here.
Secondly, we have Medicare Part B, commonly referred to as “medical insurance”. Outpatient care and expenses are covered under this part, and this includes doctor’s visits and nursing fees, services such as x-rays or diabetes screenings and some medical equipment.
Medicare Part C is the third part. This part allows Medicare beneficiaries access to Medicare benefits and services from private companies that have contracts with CMS. This means that a Medicare beneficiary will have access to Parts A and B as well as some extra advantages such as having their drug prescriptions covered.

Medicare Part D is the final part of Medicare. Under this part, prescription drugs are covered for Medicare beneficiaries. The main advantage offered by this part is the significant price discounts beneficiaries may get under prescription plans designed by private health companies.

References
BIBLIOGRAPHY What’s Medicare? 17 August 2012. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. <www.medicare.gov/sign-up-change-plans/decide-how-to-get-medicare/whats-medicare/what-is-medicare.html>.