Apply for the Medicare Part B Plan

Apply for the Medicare Part B Plan

Apply for the Medicare Part B Plan : Multi-thousand tips to make your life easier.

Medicare is the federally operated health insurance program that helps those who meet specific requirements. For example, if you are 65 or older, disabled, worked for one of the many railroad companies, or have permanent kidney disease, you may be eligible for Medicare. It is essential to realize that the program has undergone, and will continue to undergo, changes as the baby boomer generation reaches retirement.

Applying for Medicare Part B is essentially as easy as applying for Medicare, with some basic differences. If you already have Medicare Part A (the health plan that helps pay for hospital stays), enrolling in Part B requires some important steps:

1. When you first apply for and receive Medicare Part A, the option to obtain Part B should be automatic; however, this is not always the case.
2. To be eligible for Medicare (aside from the requirements stated above), you must be a U.S. citizen or someone who has legally lived in this country for at least five years.
3. Most common health care questions about the program can be found in Publication Number CMS-10050, which can be downloaded from the Medicare website.
4. When you receive your insurance card, inspect it. If you have Parts A and B, the card will reflect this information. If you have only Part A, you have a seven-month period to apply for Part B. This can also be done on the Medicare website.
5. If you are automatically enrolled in Part B, your health coverage starts immediately. However, if you wait longer than three months, your coverage will not start until one to three months after your enrollment.
6. If you do not take advantage of enrolling in Part B during the seven months after applying for and receiving Part A, there is still a way to apply for Part B. However, you must wait for the next general enrollment period, which starts on January 1 of each year and ends on March 31 of that same year. This is the first quarter of the calendar year.
7. However, if you choose not to enroll in Part B during the first year, your premium will increase by 10 percent for each year you waited beyond the first year. This is an important difference between the two parts. Part A does not require the payment of an annual premium. However, when using either portion, you may be responsible for the difference between what Medicare considers a 'fair and reasonable rate' and what is actually charged.
8. When you see your health care provider, whether a physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner, you will be charged for the visit. Once a year, you are responsible for a deductible that has recently increased from $100 to approximately $124. It is highly recommended that you pay this deductible as soon as possible. Beyond that, you are responsible for approximately 20 percent of the charge for the visit.
9. There are specific issues you should keep in mind. First, it is not inconceivable for a physician to 'negotiate' with you and accept the payment from Medicare, essentially meaning that the plan will cover the entire visit. Second, bear in mind that some 'unscrupulous' practitioners will charge one payment for people with Medicare and a different payment for those who pay for their own medical coverage. This is fraud. If you know this has occurred, it is your responsibility to let Medicare know about the incident.
10. Remember, when you first enroll (when you meet any of the qualifications), be sure that you also enroll in Part A and Part B. If this is not done automatically, contact Medicare. If you are computer-savvy, go to http://www.medicare.gov/.
11. Also, keep in mind that, because people are generally living longer than ever in recorded history, it is very possible that enrollment requirements will change. The decreasing number of working people supporting an ever-increasing number of retired people spells a basic problem with regard to Medicare.