Briefly describe the Medicare program

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Older adults are the age group most afflicted with illnesses. People over age 65 now make up 14% of the population, and the percentage is increasing each year. In 1965 Congress enacted Medicare (Title XVIII of the Social Security Act). Medicare helps older adults pay the high cost of health care. It has two parts: hospital insurance (Part A ) and medical insurance (Part B). Everyone age 65 or older who is entitled to monthly benefits under the Old Age, Survivors, Disability, and Health Insurance program gets Part A automatically, without paying a monthly premium. Practically everyone in the United States age 65 or older is eligible for Part B. Part B is voluntary, and beneficiaries are charged a monthly premium. Disabled people under age 65 who have been getting Social Security benefits for 24 consecutive months or more are also eligible for both Part A and Part B, effective with the 25th month of disability. Part A-hospital insurance-helps pay for time-limited care in a hospital, in a skilled nursing facility (home), and for home health visits (such as visiting nurses). Coverage is limited to 150 days in a hospital and to 100 days in a skilled nursing facility. If patients are able to be out of a hospital or nursing facility for 60 consecutive days following confinement, they are again eligible for coverage. Covered services in a hospital or skilled nursing facility include the cost of meals and a semiprivate room, regular nursing services, drugs, supplies, and appliances. Part A also covers home health care on a part-time or intermittent basis if beneficiaries meet the following conditions: They are homebound, in need of skilled nursing care or physical or speech therapy, and services are ordered and regularly reviewed by a physician. Finally, Part A covers up to 210 days of hospice care for a terminally ill Medicare beneficiary. Part B-supplementary medical services-helps pay for physicians' services, outpatient hospital services in an emergency room, outpatient physical and speech therapy, and a number of other medical and health services prescribed by a doctor, such as diagnostic services, X-ray or other radiation treatments, and some ambulance services. Each Medicare beneficiary can choose coverage from an "alphabet soup" of health plans. This variety includes preferred provider organizations, provider service organizations, point-of-service plans, private fee-for-service plans, and medical savings accounts.?