The Medicare health plan was introduced by US government in the year 1965 and was designed to help people over the age 65 find affordable health care. The Medicare plan is divided into various parts based on the area of health care covered and the most basic coverage is simply known as Medicare. Medicare is divided into 4 parts:



Medicare part A (or Part A Medicare)

Medicare part A is popularly known as hospital insurance and covers hospital stays. For a person to avail Medicare part A the following criteria have to be met:

a)The hospital stay has to be a minimum of three days and three midnights (not counting the day of discharge)

b)Any home nursing charges will only be covered if the problem has been diagnosed during hospital stay. For example, the physiotherapy following a total hip replacement will be covered by Medicare part A.

c)Any ailment requiring skilled nursing care at home will be covered by Medicare part A

d)All nursing care should be considered ?skilled? under provisions of the Medicare policy and not based on any other criteria

Medicare part B (or Part B Medicare)

Medicare part B is also known as medical insurance and is a little more complicated when compared to Medicare part A. Medicare part B is designed to cover services that are not covered by Medicare part B and Medicare Part B can be deferred if the beneficiary or spouse are still working. Medicare part B covers physician and nursing services, x-rays, laboratory and diagnostic tests, influenza and pneumonia vaccinations, blood transfusions, renal dialysis, outpatient procedures, limited ambulance transportation, Immunosuppressive drugs, chemotherapy, hormonal treatments, and other outpatient medical treatments administered in a doctor's office.

Medicare part B also covers durable medical equipment like canes, wheelchairs and walkers. Although Medicare part B is considered more pertinent for older people, like Medicare part A, Medicare part B is also subject to ?necessity? and there are complex rules and criteria that need to be met before a patient can avail Medicare part B.

Medicare part C (Medicare Advantage Plans)

Medicare advantage plans are designed to offer people benefits that are not offered by Medicare part A and Medicare part B. The biggest advantage of the Medicare advantage plans is that Medicare users can actually avail treatment from private hospitals if they are referred over by a Medicare hospital or physician.

Medicare part D (Prescription Drug plans)

Medicare part D was put into effect from January 1, 2006 and anyone with Medicare part A or Medicare part B is eligible for Medicare part D. Medicare holders can choose exactly which group/class of drugs they would like covered and which ones they would like to omit from the cover. Since Medicare part D is not standardized, a beneficiary has ample room for customization and can choose the degree and level at which he receives coverage. Also, plans that cover drugs excluded from Medicare part D are not allowed to pass those costs on to Medicare.

For more information on Florida Medicare visit myfloridamedicare.net