Medicare Beneficiaries

1. Talisha Adams posted Sep 26, 2018 2:43 PM

  mainly covers people of 65 years of age and older. However there are special exemptions for coverage under this health insurance plan for people under 65 who receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. People with certain disabilities for example Lou Gehrig’s disease of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and permanent kidney failure are also allowed special coverage under Medicare. Significantly Medicare covers the cost of their healthcare along with other health related needs. Patients who suffer from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Lou Gehrig’s disease will be able to access services in Medicare parts A and B (Kluender & Mast, 2017). Other special persons considered in Medicare are patients of permanent kidney failure requiring transplant or dialysis treatment, cancer patients and the list goes on. Such patients of end-stage renal diseases are allowed to be enrolled into Medicare regardless of their age. This group of people are allowed to enroll in Medicare Part A for their general hospital insurance protection. Part A is basically hospital insurance which protects inpatient care in healthcare centers, some hospice care, and home health-care. Patients under 65 that qualify for Medicare may also be enrolled into Medicare Part B which covers the payments for the services of medical professionals like doctors. Part B pays for all the medical supplies and services which are uncovered under hospital insurance (Hoffman & Paradise, 2008). In my general opinion people under 65 who qualify for Medicare coverage is because they are unable to be gainfully employed due to their medical condition(s). 

If a Medicare beneficiary lives in or travels to a foreign country Medicare coverage is usually not covered. However, Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage Plans must cover care received outside the U.S. in certain circumstances, for example Medicare will pay for emergency services in Canada if a beneficiary is traveling a direct route, without unreasonable delay, between Alaska and another state, and the closest hospital that they can receive treatment is in Canada they would receive coverage. In limited situations, Medicare may pay for non-emergency inpatient services in a foreign hospital (and any connected provider and ambulance costs). Care is covered if the hospital is closer to the beneficiary’s residence than the nearest available U.S. hospital. This is only the case for beneficiaries who live near the border of Mexico or Canada. As long as you have fully invested into your Medicare insurance plan coverage should be allowed whether someone choose to retire in a foreign country or become an avid traveler after retirement.

Reference

Hoffman, C and J Paradise.  2008.  “Health Insurance and Access to Health Care in the United    States.”  Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. Vol. 1136: 149-60.

Kluender, R., & Mast, E. (2017). Information Frictions & Insurer Plan Design: Evidence from      Medicare Advantage.

2. Darrius Cooley posted Sep 27, 2018 7:48 PM

      Medicare is a health insurance program that provides health care services to individuals 65 and older. At present, individuals 65 and older or entitled to Medicare part A if they or their spouse are eligible for social security payments and have made payroll tax contributions for 10 or more years . Also, if you have been permanently disabled and have been receiving disability benefits for at least 2 years may be eligible for Medicare benefits as well. Most of the individuals in this group are older and some may be unable to work due to a debilitating injury. In this situation, these individuals often rely on this Medicare services based on their financial needs.

     More exactly, these individuals are eligible for Medicare part A and do not have to pay a premium for their medical services. Subsequently, everyone must pay for Medicare part B if they desire to receive this medical benefit. In addition, Medicare coverage should extend to individuals traveling abroad. In this case, Medicare should cover emergency medical conditions based on provider availability. To explain, a minor ankle injury encountered abroad may not require extensive medical resources if treated in an outpatient setting. As a result, these types of injuries will only require additional resources and increased financial costs if the injury is diagnosed as an ankle fracture that would require diagnostic imaging services and possibly an orthopedic surgeon depending on the severity of the injury. In conclusion, if the individual has invested in Medicare as a health care resource then they should be able to access and utilize this benefit aboard or in the United States.

References:

medic.gov

medicare interactive.org

3. Demario Stackhouse

Currently the groups of individuals whom are eligible for Medicare beneftis, are those of age 65 and older. To qualify for this program at a younger age, you must have disabilities or permanent kidney failure awaiting a transplant. Medicare is broken down into two parts, “Part A” providing hospital insurance or “Part B” providing Medicare Insurance. Only adults who are over the age of 65 qualify for Premium Free Part A, and paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years. For those whom either self nor spouse paid into Medicare taxes, Part A is available for purchase. Though some may qualify for a free premium with Part A, everyone is required to pay for Part B. This fee is directly deducted from their source of income. 

There are various reasons I can think of when I ponder on “why would individuals want to be covered by Medicare?”.  The primary reason being many of them have paid into it for years, over the course of their younger years. By paying into it for 10 years, you are automatically qualified for Medicare, why not take advantage of it? Another reason would be for the security that it provides, knowing that one person is not solely responsible for the costs associated with medical care, demanded at that age range. 

At present time, Medicare does not cover medical services rendered in foreign countries. There is an abundant amount of individuals who are electing to retire overseas, to expand their pensions. Social Security benefits are available to insured persons residing overseas. Mexico and Canada are the only countries with rare occasions to have expenses covered through Medicare. In my opinion, these foreign expenses should be covered. This is a program that has required individuals to pay into for 10 years to become qualified to receive it, why limit their access? 

References: