What is Medicare?

Medicare is a Health Insurance Program for:

• People 65 years of age and older.
• Some people with disabilities under age 65.
• People with End-Stage Renal Disease (permanent kidney failure requiring dialysis or a transplant).

Medicare has Two Parts:

• Part A (Hospital Insurance) Most people don’t have to pay for Part A.
• Part B (Medical Insurance) Most people pay monthly for Part B.

Medicare offers you the ability to choose different services. Depending on where you live, you could have different choices. In most cases, when you first get Medicare, you are in the Original Medicare Plan after that you may want to consider a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan to add drug coverage to your health plan. You may also want to consider a Medicare Advantage Plan (like an HMO or PPO) that provides all your Part A, Part B, and often Part D coverage. You make a choice when you are first eligible for Medicare. Each year you can review your health and prescription needs and switch to a different plan in the fall.

As long as you have both Part A and Part B, items covered by Part A and Part B are covered whether you have the Original Medicare Plan, or you belong to a Medicare Advantage Plan (like an HMO or PPO). For more information see the Your Medicare Coverage database.