Part a Medicare OR

Part a Medicare

Proponents of the Affordable Care Act are focused on the push with Republicans and independent voters in the upcoming midterm elections. Taking shots at Republican efforts to repeal the ACA has gained some momentum for Democrats, but the best way for Democrats to make gains in this crucial time is not just to oppose: it’s to offer a plan of their own.

Care

via GIPHY

Skilled nursing facility (SNF) stays are covered under Medicare Part A after a qualifying hospital inpatient stay for a related illness or injury. To qualify for SNF care, the hospital stay must be a minimum of three days, beginning on the day you are formally admitted as an inpatient. The day you are discharged does not count towards this minimum three-day requirement. Time spent under observation as an outpatient also does not count towards your qualifying stay. (Source:

Talk to your doctor or other health care provider about why you need certain services or supplies. Ask if Medicare will cover them. You may need something that's usually covered but your provider thinks that Medicare won't cover it in your situation. If so, you'll have to read and sign a notice. The notice says that you may have to pay for the item, service, or supply. (Source: www.medicare.gov)

Medicine

The federal government requires these plans to cover everything that original Medicare covers, and some plans pay for services that original Medicare does not, including dental and vision care. In addition, in recent years the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which sets the rules for Medicare, has allowed Medicare Advantage plans to cover such extras as wheelchair ramps and shower grips for your home, meal delivery and transportation to and from doctors’ offices.

Dena Bunis covers Medicare, health care, health policy and Congress. She also writes the “Medicare Made Easy” column for the AARP Bulletin. An award-winning journalist, Bunis spent decades working for metropolitan daily newspapers, including as Washington bureau chief for the Orange County Register and as a health policy and workplace writer for Newsday. (Source: www.aarp.org)