MedicareBob

You may have heard that Medicare has started mailing new Medicare cards to everyone with Medicare. Hang tight — mailing takes some time across the country, and you might get your card at a different time than friends or neighbors in your state. In the meantime, keep using your current Medicare card until your new one arrives.

3 ways for you to find out when you should expect your new Medicare card in the mail:

• Check out the map on Medicare.gov/NewCard. Keep coming back to check the status of card mailings in your state. Once card mailings begin in your state, it’ll take at least a month to finish.

• Keep an eye on your email. We’ll send you an email update when new Medicare cards start mailing in your state.

• Log in to your MyMedicare.gov account to see if your new card has mailed. Don’t have an account yet? You can sign up now at MyMedicare.gov— it’s a free, secure, and easy way to access all your Medicare information in one place.

The answer is yes, they do cover breast prostheses after a mastectomy. A breast prosthesis is an artificial breast form. It gives a breast a more natural shape after a mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery.

Medicare Part B covers external breast prostheses (including a post-surgical bra) after a mastectomy. Medicare also covers surgically implanted breast prostheses after a mastectomy. Medicare Part A (hospital benefit) covers the surgery if it takes place in an inpatient setting. Part B covers the surgery if it takes place in an outpatient setting.

All people with Medicare Part A and/or Part B are covered.

You pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for the doctor's services and the external breast prostheses. The Part B deductible applies. For surgeries to implant breast prostheses in a hospital inpatient setting, you pay the Part A hospital care costs.

Medicare Part B (medical/doctor benefit) comes with a monthly premium for 2018 of $134.00 a month. There are two ways to pay your Part B premium.

• If you are collecting Social Security, they will automatically draft that premium out of your check every month.

• If you are NOT collecting Social Security, they will bill you quarterly (every three months)

Medicare Supplement Plan F, or what I like to call the “Full Coverage” Plan, is a Medicare Supplement that pays all the bills that Medicare does not pay. Medicare pays 80% and the Plan F would pay the remaining 20% of your medical bills. You would have no bills except your monthly premium. As with any Medicare Supplement Plan, there is no network for this plan. As long as the doctor or hospital accepts Original Medicare, they will accept your Plan F.

• No Copay

• No Deductible

• Any Doctor / Any Hospital

Plan N is a really good plan. There are 4 differences between Plan F (the full coverage plan) and the Plan N (Not fixed).

• Just like Plan G (the greatest value plan) you pay the $183.00 deductible.

• Then you have up to a $20.00 copy per Doctor visit.

• A $50.00 copay for the ER.

• Part B Excess Charges – This just means that if a Doctor charges more than Medicare, you might have to pay up to 15% more.

The Medicare Supplement Plan G, what I like to call the “Greatest Value”, will cover you exactly like the Plan F except for one difference. You will have to pay Medicare’s Part B Annual Deductible, which for 2018 is $183.00. The reason that Plan G is the greatest value is because it is usually $300 to $600 less per year then the Plan F and, again, the only difference is the $183.00 deductible. So why pay an insurance company $400 more a year just so they can pay your $183.00 deductible. Plan G just makes more sense.

When your doctor says you need surgery to diagnose or treat a health problem that isn't an emergency, it's up to you to decide when and if you'll have surgery.

Medicare Part B covers a second opinion in some cases for surgery that isn’t an emergency. Medicare also will help pay for a third opinion if the first and second opinions are different. All people with Part B are covered.

You pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount. The Part B deductible applies. If the second opinion doesn't agree with the first opinion, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for a third opinion.

The Medicare Supplement Plan G will pay for the second and third opinion as long as Medicare will pay for it. Once you meet your annual deductible of $183.00, the Plan G will pay for those services. You will pay nothing.

If your doctor tells you that you should have certain kinds of major non-surgical procedures, Medicare doesn't pay for surgeries or procedures that aren't medically necessary.

Medicare Part B covers ambulance services to or from a hospital, critical access hospital (CAH), or skilled nursing facility (SNF). Medicare covers and helps pay for ambulance services only when other transportation could endanger your health, like if you have a health condition that requires this type of transportation. Little known fact: If you can walk to the ambulance, Medicare will not pay for the service. So, even if you can walk, DON’T DO IT!

Medicare will only cover ambulance services to the nearest appropriate medical facility that’s able to give you the care you need. If you choose to be transported to a facility farther away, Medicare’s payment will be based on the charge to the closest appropriate facility. If no local facilities are able to give you the care you need, Medicare will pay for transportation to the nearest facility outside your local area that’s able to give you necessary care.

Medicare Part B covers medical nutrition therapy (MNT) services and certain related services. A Registered Dietitian or nutrition professional who meets certain requirements can provide these services. But, only your doctor can refer you for these services. MNT services may include:

• An initial nutrition and lifestyle assessment

• Individual and/or group nutrition therapy services

• Follow-up visits to check on your progress in managing your diet

If you're in a rural area, you may be able to get MNT through telehealth. A Registered Dietitian or other nutrition professional in a different location would provide the service.

If you get dialysis in a dialysis facility, Medicare covers MNT as part of your overall dialysis care.

People with Part B who meet at least one of these conditions:

• Have diabetes

• Have kidney disease

• Have had a kidney transplant in the last 36 months

People with Part B must get a referral from their doctor for the service.

Medicare Part B covers ambulance services to or from a hospital, critical access hospital (CAH), or skilled nursing facility (SNF). Medicare covers and helps pay for ambulance services only when other transportation could endanger your health, like if you have a health condition that requires this type of transportation. Little known fact: If you can walk to the ambulance, Medicare will not pay for the service. So, even if you can walk, DON’T DO IT!

The Medicare Supplement Plan G will cover ambulance rides. Medicare Supplement Plan G covers everything but Medicare Part B’s annual deductible of $183.00, so if you have not met your deductible for the year, you would pay the full or remaining amount of that deductible for your ambulance ride. If you have met that deductible, you pay nothing.

You can get emergency ambulance transportation when you’ve had a sudden medical emergency, and your health is in serious danger because you can’t be safely transported by other means.