The original Medicare Plan "Part A" provides hospital insurance to people 65 or over and those who meet special criteria and runs on a fee-for-service basis. Doctors are limited as to what they can charge you for their care and services. As long as you or your spouse paid your Medicare taxes while you were working, you normally will not have to pay a monthly premium for Part A Medicare coverage. You also have the option of adding Medicare Part B and Medicare Part D, and you will automatically be enrolled in Medicare Part A, once you turn 65, unless you opt for a Medicare Advantage plan in place of Medicare Part A.

 

Even if you did not pay Medicare taxes before retirement, you can still buy Medicare Part A if you are over 65 years old and meet US citizenship and residency requirements, or if you are under 65, disabled, and lost your premium-free Medicare Part A coverage because you went back to work. More often than not, if you opt to buy original Medicare Plan coverage, you are required to buy Medicare Part B as well as pay both services’ Medicare  premiums. If you have limited income, your state may provide financial assistance for your Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B coverage.

 

Medicare hospital insurance includes a variety of medically-necessary services, like hospital stays (a minimum of 3 days), as long as you do not need long term or custodial care. Medicare Part A consists of semi-private rooms, hospital services and supplies, the doctor time and care, emergency room visits, and medicine that you are prescribed for your treatment. Hospital services like anesthesia, chemotherapy, and inpatient dialysis are covered by Medicare Part A as long as they are deemed medically necessary. Personal care items and private rooms are not covered by Medicare Part A.  However many of the services and items not included in your Medicare Plan A, Medicare Plan B, and Medicare Plan C can be received for FREE when using your AmeriFrog Reward benefits.

 

Blood is another service that the original Medicare program covers. As long as the hospital receives blood from a blood bank without any charge, you do not need to worry about payment. However, if the hospital needs to purchase blood for you, you must repay the hospital for the blood or you or someone else can donate blood. This service includes blood transfusions as well as other blood work you are given in a hospital.

 

Hospice, skilled nursing facility, and home health services are also covered by Medicare Part A. If you have a terminal illness, and your doctor has confirmed that you have 6 months or less to live, your hospice care (including pain relief, grief counseling, and other service) will be covered by Medicare. In order to receive skilled nursing facility care, a doctor must declare that you are in need of daily skilled care like physical therapy. Home health services are also covered by Medicare, provided they are ordered by a doctor and are also supplied by a Medicare certified home health agency: you must be determined home-bound in order to receive these services with Medicare, and the home health services covered by Medicare are again limited to medically necessary care.

 

Traditional Medicare provides you with a semi-private room and meals in hospitals, hospitals, and nursing facilities. These services do not include private nursing or private rooms, and unless deemed medically necessary, also do not cover long term or custodial care. Televisions and telephones are also not covered by Medicare, if they incur an additional charge.