or “Medicare drug plans.”
Feel free to skip anything marked with the Technical Stuff icon as well as the sidebars – those chunks of text that appear in shaded boxes. They’re not necessary to understanding how to find your way through Medicare. Still, you may find them interesting. Ever wonder how on earth Congress dreamed up some of the more oddball bits of this program? You can find the answers in sidebars scattered throughout this book.
Within this book, you may note that some web addresses break across two lines of text. If you’re reading this book in print and want to visit one of these web pages, simply key in the address exactly as it’s noted in the text, as though the line break doesn’t exist. If you’re reading this text as an e-book, you’ve got it easy – just click the address to be taken directly to the page.
This book assumes that you don’t have any working knowledge of Medicare – really, none at all! But even if you do, you can still find practical insights and useful tips to help you navigate the system more quickly, easily, and confidently. If you recognize yourself in any of the following scenarios, you can find help in these pages:
❯❯ Your 65th birthday is on the horizon or coming up fast, and you realize you know nothing about Medicare or how to get it.
❯❯ You’re younger than 65 but will soon qualify for Medicare as a result of disability and need to know how it works for you.
❯❯ You intend to continue working beyond 65 in a job that provides health insurance, and you aren’t sure whether you should join Medicare.
❯❯ You have good retiree health benefits from a former employer and wonder how they fit in with Medicare or whether you even need it.
❯❯ You’re living outside the United States and want to know about Medicare enrollment and coverage rules for Americans abroad.
❯❯ You’re already enrolled in Medicare but can use some help to troubleshoot problems, find a better deal, or reduce your expenses.
❯❯ You need a crash course on Medicare issues because you’re helping a parent, relative, or friend navigate the system.
❯❯ In your job or volunteer time working with seniors or people with disabilities, you can use a plain-language reference to Medicare.
Another point: This book assumes no political standpoints. Medicare has always been a controversial hot potato, gingerly tossed between those who think of it as a social safety net that should be extended to everyone and those who see it as an expensive luxury that is a growing drain on the economy. If you hold strong opinions, fine; that’s your privilege. But in these pages, the only “us versus them” undertone is a bias toward consumers (us) rather than government bureaucracies and insurance companies (them). The aim of this book is to help you understand and deal with the system as it is now. If you want it changed, please tell your members of Congress, not me!
Icons are those cute drawings you see in the page margins now and again. Here’s what they mean:
In addition to the material in the print or e-book you’re reading right now, this product also comes with some access-anywhere goodies on the web. For important Medicare do’s and don’ts, pointers on enrolling in Medicare at the right time, and key sources of Medicare help, go to www.dummies.com and type Medicare For Dummies Cheat Sheet in the Search box. Also, be sure to visit www.dummies.com/extras/medicare for free articles about breaking a language barrier in order to enroll in Medicare, knowing which federal agency will answer your Medicare questions, and much more.
Nobody expects you to read this book cover to cover. It’s not a thriller or a bodice-ripper! But it does act as a plain-language reference to a program that millions of people use but few understand. So you can jump in anywhere to the bit you need, at whatever point you happen to be when grappling with Medicare. For example:
❯❯ Want to know how Medicare works? Start with Part 1 to see what Medicare covers, how much it costs, and how you can lower expenses.
❯❯ Don’t know when you should sign up or how to go about it? Chapters 6 and 7 show you the way, according to your circumstances.
❯❯ Need to make a choice among Medicare’s many options and private plans? Find out how to do so in Chapters 9, 10, 11, and 12.
❯❯ Want to get the best out of your Medicare coverage and avoid pitfalls? You’ll find lots of pointers in Part 4.
Part 1
Getting Started with Medicare
IN THIS PART …
Set the record straight on common assumptions and misconceptions about Medicare and how it compares with other types of health insurance.
Discover the basics of Medicare with a quick primer on how it’s divided into four separate programs: Part A (hospital stays), Part B (doctors’ and outpatient services), Part C (Medicare’s private health plans), and Part D (prescription drug coverage).
Find out which services Medicare helps pay for, which services it doesn’t cover at all, and which ones come with certain coverage limits.
Recognize what you’re likely to pay toward your costs in Medicare – the basic premiums, deductibles, and co-payments, plus the premium surcharges you may have to pay if your income is over a certain level.
Get the scoop on ways to reduce your out-of-pocket expenses in Medicare, including special help if your income is under a certain level.
Chapter 1
The Nuts and Bolts of Medicare: What It Is and How It Works
IN THIS CHAPTER
Addressing common concerns you may have about Medicare
Getting a handle on the different parts of Medicare
Knowing that you have choices and time-sensitive decisions
