In the past, your only option was to sign up for Medicare Part A and Part B. In addition you could sign up for a Medicare supplement as well to help cover the expenses that Medicare Part A and Part B do not cover. Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B are otherwise known as Original Medicare. To keep things simple we'll say that Part A covers hospitalization and Part B covers doctor's visits. They each cover much more than that, but that is not the focus of this article. What you do need to know is that you need both to have the proper coverage.
Original Medicare will provide you with some health coverage, but is by far not near adequate enough. Let's talk about coverage and costs. Medicare Part A will not cost you anything as long as your or your spouse has worked 10 years or 40 quarters and paid Medicare taxes during that time. Medicare Part B currently carries a cost of approx. $100/monthly and will be increasing as time goes by. So, for most people you will have to pay about $100 a month to have your Medicare A and B.
So what does that $100 a month buy you? Well, you will have a large deductible for hospital stays along with a small deductible for doctor's visits. After that you go into a traditional 80/20 split. This seems pretty traditional as far as insurances go accept there is one MAJOR, HUGE, MASSIVE problem! Did I get your attention? There is NO Maximum Out of Pocket with Original Medicare! Let me repeat that for you in case you've fallen asleep by now. There is NO Maximum Out of Pocket with Original Medicare. This is why you MUST carry a Medicare supplement with a minimum coverage that will cover that 20%. Otherwise you could end up losing your NEST EGG over a hospital stay!
In addition you will need a Medicare Part D drug plan to help cover your prescription drugs since Original Medicare does not offer prescription drug coverage. The national average for a prescription drug plan premium is $38/month. You could pay around $200/month for a Medicare supplement. Added together you are now looking at $338/month for your Part A and B, Medicare supplement, and Part D drug coverage. The MAIN benefit of having Original Medicare with a supplement is that you know what your medical costs will be each month, and you can go to any provider that accept Medicare! The alternative is to look at a Medicare Advantage plan like Humana or Health Springs in order to save money.







