Medicare is one of the largest health insurance programs running in the United States, and its efficiency is due to several aspects. Application forms and the entire enrollment process are conceived to be as simple as possible and accessible too. But the main quality that makes Medicare so efficient and satisfying is represented by the benefits one can get after enrollment. Another appreciable feature is that Medicare considers automatically eligible all American citizens with the age of 65, but also accepts as beneficiaries of the insurance people which are not yet 65 experiencing some severe disorders, and foreign citizens who have worked in the United States for an established period of time.

The basic programs developed by Medicare are Medicare part A, Medicare part B, Medicare part C and Medicare part D, each of them covering some medical items and services people may need. Medicare Benefits are extremely various and correspond to the part of Medicare program that you chose to enroll in. Thus, the enrollees benefit from hospital insurance by part A, while part B offers a larger medical insurance. Medicare Benefits of part A and B are available, as stated before, to all citizens that are at least 65.

Inpatient hospital stays, home health care, therapies, diagnostic tests, medical equipment, prosthetic devices, outpatient and ambulatory services, vaccines and many other items and services count as Medicare Benefits offered by part A and B. However, Medicare part A and Medicare part B do not cover prescription drugs expenses automatically. This is why Medicare had designed a different part to deal with prescription drugs coverage, that is, Medicare part D.

What is then Medicare part C? This part is often referred to as Medicare Advantage plans. It was designed as a more flexible strategy of handling health insurance issues. Some people prefer to receive their benefits through their private health insurance plans, instead of through the original Medicare plan that consisted of parts A and B. Because people were offered the possibility to choose how to receive the benefits, part C, or Medicare Advantage plans, was also named "Medicare + Choice".

Medicare Advantage plans include Medicare Health Maintenance Organization (HMOs), Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO), Medicare Special Needs Plans and Private Free-for-Service Plans. Each of these plans has its own way of handling insurance issues and works differently. But the main condition they all have to meet is that the insured must have Medicare part A and B, otherwise they can not benefit from Medicare Advantage plans.

Medicare Advantage plans represent an improved alternative to the original plan of Medicare due to the fact that clients have the opportunity of some extra benefits and, in addition, some payments can be lower. Beginning with a certain age, maintaining health becomes a serious concern, which means an increased sensitivity to all sorts of disorders and a general amplified vulnerability. This is why health coverage is to be seriously considered.