PART A

(Hospital Insurance) covers most medically necessary hospital, skilled nursing facility, home health, and hospice care. It is free if you have worked and paid Social Security taxes for the required amount of time; you will pay a monthly premium if you have worked and paid taxes for less than the required time.

PART B

Medical insurance covers most medically necessary doctors’ services, preventive care, durable medical equipment, hospital outpatient services, laboratory tests, x-rays, mental health care, and some home health and ambulance services. You pay a monthly premium for this coverage.

PART C

(This ccombines Parts A and B and often Part D as well.) Part C is the part of Medicare policy that allows private health insurance companies to provide Medicare benefits. These Medicare private health plans, such as HMO’s and PPO, are known as Medicare Advantage Plans. If you want, you can choose to get your Medicare coverage through a Medicare Advantage Plan instead of through Original Medicare.

PART d

(outpatient Prescription Drug Insurance) Part D is provided through private insurance companies that have contracts with the government; it is never provided directly by the government as Original Medicare is. If you want Part D, you must choose Part D coverage that works with your Medicare health benefits. If you have Original Medicare, choose a stand-alone Part D plan (PDP).