To become eligible for Medicare Supplement Insurance, you must be enrolled in Medicare Part A. So what is Medicare Part A anyway?
What Part A covers…
Medicare Part A covers hospitalization for up to 60 days. While in the hospital, Part A coverage includes a semi-private room, meals, care in special units, skilled nursing, drugs/medicare supplies while in inpatient services, labs, tests, recovery room services, some blood transfusions, physical therapy, and rehab services.
What does Medicare Part A cost?
Most people don’t have to pay a premium for Medicare Part A. If you have made payroll contributions for at least 10 years, you will not have to pay the monthly fee. You must pay a $1,132 deductible for Medicare Part A for each hospital stay or what’s known as a benefit period unless you have a Medicare Supplement Plan that covers this deductible. If you have Medigap Plan B, C, D, F, G, or N, you will not have to pay Medicare Part A deductible.
For each day after 60 days of in-hospitalization, you must begin paying a copayment. This can accrue up to a steep payment if you don’t have Medigap insurance. For example, if you were to be hospitalized for 180 days you could end up paying around $84,000 including the cost of the the Medicare Part A deductible. That’s a hard pill to swallow. Speaking of which, if you don’t have a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan, the drug costs associated with your hospital stay after you are sent home would be very costly.
To get more information about Medicare Supplement Insurance plans, talk to one of our Medigap plan representatives today or get a free quote today.