What is Medicare? What governmental agency administers it?
Medicare is a national social insurance program; it is the federal health insurance program for people who are 65 or older, certain younger people with disabilities, and people with End-Stage Renal Disease known as a permanent kidney failure requiring dialysis or transplant. Medicare helps cover different specific medical cost. As a social insurance program, Medicare spreads the financial risk associated with illness across society to protect everyone, and thus somewhat different social role from for-profit private insurers, which manage their risk portfolio by adjusting their pricing according to, perceived risk. Medicare is managed by the Health Care …show more content…
The state will need to verify information on the application by cross-referencing it with certain documents you may be in possession of. In order to do this, you should make duplicate copies of: 1) birth certificate, social security number or guardianship papers 2) Driver’s license and vehicle registration 3) Proof of residency in the state in which you are applying for 4) Any pay stubs or other proof of income 5) Names of your financial institutions and any bank accounts numbers 6) Real estate deeds 7) Unpaid doctor or health care bills 8) Medicare Benefit Card
Consult with an elder lawyer or one who specializes in family law before submitting your Medicare application. This is especially important if the person who is applying for Medicare will be entering a skilled nursing facility.
Inquire as to the average turnaround time for reviewing an application. It generally takes 45 days for the state to process an application that does not involve a disability. It can take up to 90 days to process an application associated with a disability. Be sure to follow up on the status of your application if you don’t receive a response within a reasonable time after …show more content…
However for drug, most prescriptions aren’t covered in Original Medicare but people are given the choice to join a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan. Each Medicare Prescription Drug Plan has its own list of covered drugs, many medicare drug plans place drugs into different tiers on their formularies. Drugs in each tier have a different cost. A drug in a lower tier will generally cost less than a drug in a higher tier.
Do you have to pay for Medicare benefits?
Yes, generally people have to pay for Medicare benefits. Part A usually cost $441 each month if a person is not eligible for premium free. For part B, a person pays a premium each month for Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance). Most people will pay the standard premium amount. However, their modified adjusted gross income as reported on your IRS tax return from 2 years ago is above a certain amount, they may an Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA). IRMAA is an extra charge added to premium. Part B for $ 147 and Premium B for;
If your yearly income in 2011 was
You pay (in 2013)
File individual tax return
File joint tax