Medicare is a federally funded health care program that most seniors rely on to cover the costs associated with health care services. Understanding the rules and procedures of the Medicare program, however, can be frustrating for seniors. Now there is an app that can help. An Indianapolis elder law attorney at Frank & Kraft explains how the Medicare app can help you.
Introducing the Medicare App
For most of us, the older weare, the more we spend on health care. Whether it starts at 55 or 85, thenatural aging process catches up to us all eventually and we begin to showsigns of physical and mental deterioration. Consequently, we spend more timeand money on doctor and hospital visits, prescription medications, and medicalequipment and supplies. The question, however, often becomes whether Medicarewill cover the cost. When was the last time you received a bill informing youthat Medicare did not pay for a significant portion of a doctor visit orprocedure? Chances are it was not long ago. Until fairly recently, Medicarerecipients were at the mercy of their doctor to give them an accurate estimateof their share of costs or they could sit on hold forever waiting to getsomeone on the phone at Medicare to help. Medicare, however, has entered theelectronic age with a “What’s covered? app that can be downloaded for free fromboth the App Store and Google Play.
The Medicare app can helpyou find out if an item or a service is covered by Medicare Part A (HospitalInsurance) and Part B (Medical Insurance) and provide you with an estimate ofthe costs involved. Search or browse to learn how and when to get coveredbenefits as well as to find a list of covered preventive services.
The app can provide you withanswers to questions such as:
- When aremammograms covered?
- Are specialistsor home health care covered?
- Will Medicarepay for crutches, walkers, or diabetes testing supplies?
- Will my Medicarebenefits cover a service to help me stop smoking?
- Can I get aregular cervical cancer screening?
- How often willmy Medicare coverage allow me to get a bone mass measurement?
What the Medicare App Can Do for You
Did you know that Medicarecovers a number of preventative services at no cost to you? Screenings forcancer and other diseases, behavior therapy, and rehabilitation services arefrequently available at no charge to Medicare recipients. If you want to findout of a preventative service is covered, just check on the app.
Knowing you have healthinsurance is great; however, that doesn’t always mean you pay nothing fordoctor visits, hospital stays, or prescription drugs. The Medicare app lets youcheck ahead of time to get an idea what your copayment and/or coinsurance willbe for a covered item or service. You can also check to see if your deductibleapplies to a service or item and how much of that deductible you have paid todate. There are also some items and services that require you to meeteligibility criteria for the item or service to be covered. If you don’t meetthe criteria, you may be responsible for paying all costs. For example, yourdoctor may recommend that you get services or tests done more often thanMedicare covers, or a healthcare provide may recommend services that Medicaredoesn’t cover at all. If you are counting on Medicare to cover the costsbecause your healthcare provided recommended the service/item, you could end uppaying the entire bill. Using the Medicare app to check ahead of time canprevent you from incurring a large, unexpected, bill. The app will answerquestions such as:
- How much will Ipay for prescription drugs included in Medicare Part B coverage?
- Does the Part Bdeductible apply for cardiac rehabilitation?
- What percentageof the Medicare-approved amount will I need to pay for colorectal cancerscreenings?
Contact an Indianapolis Elder Law Attorney
For more information, please download our FREE estate planning worksheet. If you have additional questions or concerns about elder law issues contact an experienced Indianapolis estate planning attorney at Frank & Kraft by calling (317) 684-1100 to schedule an appointment.
Mr. Kraft assists clients primarily in the areas of estate planning and administration, Medicaid planning, federal and state taxation, real estate and corporate law, bringing the added perspective of an accounting background to his work.
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