Medicare is essential to older people once they reach a certain age of 65 and over as well as to people with chronic medical conditions or disabilities. This program has played an important role to every citizen of the United States because of the benefits it provides. It offers a lot of services to its members that are really beneficial since medical wellness is the most important thing for the people today.
There are actually two ways to enjoy the benefits of Medicare Program: Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage Plans. Both almost have the same benefits since they cover Part A (Hospital Insurance) and Part B (Medical Insurance) except that Medicare Advantage Plans offer extra benefits. It is considered a bundled plan because of its vast Medicare coverage and thus one of the best insurance plans in the US.
What are the services offered by Medicare Advantage Plans?
Not only the Part A and Part B are present in these packages but as well as Part D (Drug Prescription Coverage). Other than that, these plans mostly offer vision, hearing, dental services, and other fitness or health wellness programs thru gym discounts and memberships. Other plans under this network also offer even more benefits like transportation allowance to visit your doctor, over-the-counter drugs or medications, and other services that promotes healthy living to prevent health risks. Some plans also give customized benefits for chronically-illed members to treat their medical conditions. Thus, it is important to check and review each plan to know which one offers all the services you need.
Other things to know about Medicare Advantage Plans
Medicare Advantage Plans are offered by private health insurance companies across the US. These health insurance companies should all be regulated by the rules set by Medicare in order to offer their services to the public. But even though these plans are all regulated by Medicare, each plan also has their own distinct rules which should be followed by its members. Some rules include the need of referral to see a specialist and that members should only see a doctor or health care institution that participates under the plan’s network coverage. Otherwise, you will incur high unexpected costs which are outside your plan’s coverage. Thus, it is really advisable to have your medical care to the doctors and other providers under this package to enjoy a minimal cost. However, these rules vary each year depending also in which plan you chose.
You have a lot of plans to choose under Medicare Advantage. Most of these plans allow you to enjoy almost the same benefits yet with little diversity. Services differ from one plan to another so it should be noted that you must have your choice verified first before applying. Some plans under this network are as follows:
- Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) Plans
- Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) Plans
- Private Free-for-Service (PFFS) Plans
- Special Needs Plans (SNPs)
The above-mentioned plans are the most common though there are still other plans available like HMO Point of Service (HMOPOS) Plans and a Medicare Medical Savings Account (MSA) Plan.
