As you get close to your 65th birthday, you will be bombarded with Medicare solicitations in the mail. These advertisements are usually for Private Medicare Plans. Before you enroll in a Private Medicare Plan, you must qualify for Original Medicare. Original Medicare is comprised of both Part A and Part B coverage. The first step of the Medicare process is to enroll in Part A in Nevada. Fortunately, most people are enrolled in Part A automatically. Part A is known as Hospital Insurance. If you worked and paid federal taxes for 10 years (ie. 40 Quarters), you should be automatically enrolled in Part A for free. Your Part A effective date is determined by the day of the month you were born:
- If you were born on the 1st day of the month, your Part A coverage will start on the month before your 65th birthday month.
- If you were born on any other day besides the 1st of the month, your Part A coverage will start on the 1st day of your 65th birthday month.
Did you know you can qualify for Medicare before the age of 65? People with eligible disabilities can get Part A and B of Medicare before the age of 65. Also, did you know that you do not need to receive Social Security benefits to qualify for Medicare? To determine your eligibility for Part A of Medicare, please contact the Social Security Administration. The Social Security Administration handles all Part A and B applications. To enroll in Part A and B on the Social Security Administration’s website, click here.
Part A Costs
Part A in Nevada is free for most people. If you paid federal taxes for 10 or more years in your life, you will be automatically enrolled in Part A at 65 for free. You can also qualify for free Part A coverage if:
- You already get retirement benefits from Social Security or the Railroad Retirement Board.
- You’re eligible to get Social Security or Railroad benefits but haven’t filed for them yet.
- You or your spouse had Medicare-covered government employment.
For those who did not pay federal Medicare taxes for 40 total quarters (ie. 10 years), you will need to pay a monthly premium to the government to enroll in Part A. The monthly costs for Part A may change from year to year and will be calculated based on the amount of Medicare taxes you paid in your lifetime. To learn more, please click here.
What Part A in Nevada Covers
Part A coverage is a form of socialized medicine through the government. Part A is not offered through a Private Medicare Insurance Company. In general, Part A covers:
- Inpatient care in a hospital
- Skilled nursing facility care
- Inpatient care in a skilled nursing facility (not custodial or long term care)
- Hospice care
- Home health care
If you do not have Private Medicare Plan with your Part A coverage, you may incur high how of pocket costs. There are high deductibles and coinsurance costs for people relying on Part A coverage without a Private Medicare Plan. These deductibles and coinsurance costs can change from year to year. To learn more about the out of pocket costs associated with Part A, you can read more on the Federal Medicare Website.
What Part A in Nevada Does Not Cover
There are a lot of services not covered by either Part A or Part B. To get stronger coverage, we recommend enrolling in a Private Medicare Plan. Some of these Private Medicare Plans will include coverage for benefits that are excluded by Part A and Part B. Also, Private Medicare Plans will significantly reduce your out of pocket expenses. Some of the items and services that Part A and Part B of Medicare will not cover include:
- Long term care (also called custodial care )
- Most dental care
- Eye exams related to prescribing glasses
- Dentures
- Cosmetic surgery
- Acupuncture
- Hearing aids and exams for fitting them
- Routine foot care
Enrolling in Private Medicare Plans
If you only have Part A coverage, you will need to also enroll in Part B to qualify for a Private Medicare Plan. Both Part C Medicare Advantage Plans and Medicare Supplement Plans require you to be enrolled in both Part A and Part B of Medicare. Once you enroll in both Part A and Part B of Medicare through the Social Security Administration, one of our licensed brokers can help you with your Private Medicare Plan enrollment. Our brokers do not charge any fees to help you shop for plans. We also will help you with any questions or concerns throughout the year. To schedule a free appointment with one of our brokers, give us a call today. You can also view plans and prices on our website by clicking here for a free quote.
