Understanding the Key Terms and Concepts

Before we dive into the details, let’s get comfortable with the basic language of Medicare. Once you know what these key terms mean, everything else becomes much easier to grasp.

What Is Medicare?

At its heart, Medicare is a federal health insurance program primarily for people who are 65 or older. It’s also available to some younger people with certain disabilities or medical conditions. It is not welfare; it’s a program you’ve likely been paying into through taxes your entire working life. The program is managed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Social Security Administration helps by handling the enrollment process. For the most direct information, you can always visit the official website at Medicare.gov.

The Four Main Parts of Medicare

Medicare is often broken down into four parts, each covering different services. Let’s look at them one by one.

Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance)

Think of Part A as your “hospital insurance.” It helps cover costs when you are admitted to a hospital or a similar facility. Specifically, it covers things like:

Inpatient hospital care: This includes semi-private rooms, meals, nursing services, and drugs administered as part of your inpatient treatment.

Skilled nursing facility care: This is not long-term care. It covers a limited stay in a facility after a hospital stay for recovery or rehabilitation.

Hospice care: For terminal illness, it covers care focused on comfort and quality of life.

Home health care: In some circumstances, it covers part-time skilled nursing care at home.

For most people, Part A is premium-free. This is usually the case if you or your spouse worked and paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years.

Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance)

If Part A is hospital insurance, think of Part B as your “doctor and outpatient insurance.” It covers a wide range of services and supplies that are medically necessary to treat your health condition. This includes:

Doctor’s visits: Checkups with your family doctor or specialists.

Outpatient care: Services you receive in a hospital or clinic without being admitted, like in an emergency room or for a same-day surgery.

Preventive services: Screenings for cancer, flu shots, and wellness visits designed to keep you healthy.

Ambulance services and durable medical equipment: Things like walkers or wheelchairs.

Unlike Part A, most people pay a monthly premium for Part B. The amount can change each year and is often based on your income. For most retirees, this premium is conveniently deducted directly from their Social Security benefit.

Original Medicare vs. Medicare Advantage

When you first enroll, you have a fundamental choice to make. You can get your benefits through either Original Medicare or a Medicare Advantage Plan.

Original Medicare is the traditional program run by the federal government. It consists of Part A and Part B. If you choose this path, you can see any doctor or go to any hospital in the U.S. that accepts Medicare. Most people with Original Medicare also get a separate Part D plan for prescription drugs and may buy a Medigap policy to help with out-of-pocket costs.

Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage)

This is the other path. Medicare Advantage plans, also known as Part C, are an “all-in-one” alternative to Original Medicare. These plans are offered by private insurance companies that are approved by Medicare. They must cover everything that Original Medicare (Parts A and B) covers, but they often include extra benefits, such as:

Prescription drug coverage (like Part D)

Vision, hearing, and dental coverage

Gym memberships or wellness programs

These plans often have specific networks of doctors and hospitals you must use, similar to an HMO or PPO you may have had through an employer. Your out-of-pocket costs can be different, and you’ll still have to pay your monthly Part B premium.

Medicare Part D (Prescription Drug Coverage)

Part D helps cover the cost of prescription medications. It is not part of Original Medicare. Instead, it’s offered through private insurance companies either as a standalone plan (to go with Original Medicare) or as part of a Medicare Advantage plan. Each plan has its own list of covered drugs, called a formulary, so it’s important to choose one that covers the medications you need.

What Is Medigap?

One more important term to know is Medigap. Medigap policies, also called Medicare Supplement Insurance, are sold by private companies. They help fill the “gaps” in Original Medicare by paying for some of the remaining healthcare costs, like your copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles. You cannot have a Medigap policy if you have a Medicare Advantage Plan.