Hospitalization Coverage (Inpatient Care and Emergency Care)
Medical Care (Outpatient Care and Emergency Care)
Pharmaceutical Coverage
Gap Insurance/Supplemental Insurance . This is supplemental insurance needed to help cover deductibles, up to 20% of medical bills with no cap and treatments not covered by Medicare.
The Medicare system provided by the US Government ONLY COVERS items 1 and 2 above
The Item 1 and Item 2 coverage has a required subscription cost of $165/month (aka a monthly insurance premium) . While $165/month. may sound "okay" or even good to some, when you realize what you are and are not getting and realize what you have to buy to avoid living in fear of bankruptcy, on top of what you have already contributed to "their system" your opinion may change.
The Item 1 coverage has an annual deductible of almost $1800 per year. You will need to spend $1800/year out of your pocket before the insurance starts paying 80% of your bills with no out of pocket maximum to protect you.
The Item 2 coverage has an annual deductible of $270 per year. You will need to spend $1800/year out of your pocket before the insurance starts paying 80% of your bills with no out of pocket maximum to protect you.
The Medicare system provided by the US Government DOES NOT have any offerings that cover items 3 and 4 above (pharmaceutical coverage and gap insurance)
If you want any coverage for item 3 , pharmaceuticals, you will have to buy that from PRIVATE INSURANCE CARRIERS. We are currently researching costs on that for now. If you do NOT purchase a plan from a private company, you may NOT get medicare negotiated rates. We need to check on that...
If you want any coverage for item 4 , gap insurance, you will have to buy that from PRIVATE INSURANCE CARRIERS. We are currently researching the cost at this time.
Restating this by item, with a little more detail:
Item 1 - The US Government Medicare system provides Hospitalization coverage. The amount you have to pay before you start getting support with payments is almost $2000. There is no out of pocket maximum.
Item 2 - The US Government Medicare system provides Medical coverage but it's not great coverage. The amount you have to pay before you start getting support with payments is about $300. After that they cover 80% of additional fees with no out of pocket maximum.
The government Medicare system provides NO PHARMACEUTICAL COVERAGE. If you would like pharmaceutical coverage you will need to contract with a private insurance carrier.
The government provide NO GAP INSURANCE COVERAGE OPTION. If you would like pharmaceutical coverage you will need to contract with a private insurance carrier.
Restating this by item, with yet a little more detail:
The US Government Medicare system provides Hospitalization Coverage.
You will pay a monthly premium for this in addition to a life time of contributions you made to the system.
You will have to pay out a LARGE amount of money before Medicare starts to pay 80% of your bills
You have no maximum out of pocket protection with this coverage. If you got a $1 Million bill for something, you would be on the hook for $200,000.
The government Medicare system provides Medical Coverage.
You will pay a monthly premium for this in addition to a life time of contributions you made to the system.
You will have to pay out a LARGE amount of money before Medicare starts to pay 80% of your bills
You have no maximum out of pocket protection with this coverage. If you get a $2,000 bill for something, you would be on the hook for $400 for that.
The government Medicare system provides NO PHARMACEUTICAL COVERAGE. If you would like pharmaceutical coverage you will need to contract with a private insurance carrier.
The government provide NO GAP INSURANCE COVERAGE OPTION. If you would like pharmaceutical coverage you will need to contract with a private insurance carrier.
Monthly Premium
$165 monthly premium - The Medicare system provided by the US Government ONLY COVERS item 1 and item 2 above. The maximum current cost for coverage for items 1 and 2 is $165/month. If you make low to no income it is less or free. This equates to $1980/year AND that is in addition to a lifetime of contributions you made when you worked.
Annual Deductibles which must be exceed for partial insurance coverage to "chip in...
$1600 deductible for Item 1, Hospitalization - The amount of money you will need to spend on Hospital bills BEFORE you get any support from Medicare is $1600.
$233 deductible for Item 2, Medical Care - The amount of money you will need to spend on Medial care BEFORE you get any support from Medicare is $233.
80/20 Coverage
Medicare will cover 80% of your bills as long as you are making your monthly premium payments and AFTER you pay the required deductibles for part 1 and part 2 each year.
No Annual Out of Pocket Maximum
Medicare has NO OUT OF POCKET MAXIMUM.
If you got a $1 Million medical bill, you would be on the hook for $200,000