Medicare is a health insurance program for people over 65, designed to make healthcare more affordable for seniors. However, many older people in the Lehigh Valley run into common issues when using Medicare, which results in problems that make the program less beneficial than it is meant to be.
Today, we’re going to review the three biggest Medicare problems for seniors, and most importantly, how you can deal with them. You can also click here for a list of related Medicare articles.
Extremely High Out-of-Pocket Costs
Arguably, the biggest Medicare problem is that it doesn’t cover all healthcare costs. You still have to pay for various services or health-related items from your own pocket. This is the case for both Medicare Part A and Part B, and there is a way to deal with this.
The best solution to this problem is to look for a Medicare Advantage plan. These plans have out-of-pocket limits that restrict how much you’ll pay on healthcare services every year. In many ways, it fills the massive gap in Medicare and makes it a more affordable and usable program.
Medicare Doesn’t Cover All Health Services
Another issue most people deal with is the lack of coverage for certain essential health services. Medicare can cover many different needs, but it doesn’t cover things like
- dental.
- vision.
- hearing.
- long-term care
If you require any of the above services, you’re forced to pay more money from your pocket—which brings us back to the first problem! The solution to this could be the above-mentioned Medicare Advantage plan, or you may consider opting for separate insurance. It depends on what’s available through the Advantage plan and how much coverage you need. Some people find separate insurance more affordable overall, but that depends on your budget and medical requirements.
It’s Far Too Complicated
We’ve already mentioned three different parts of Medicare in this guide: A, B, and C (known as Medicare Advantage). Medicare is unnecessarily confusing and complex. It’s extremely difficult to understand what each part of Medicare does, which one you need, and how to deal with things like payments or even just using Medicare in different circumstances.
How can you deal with a problem like this? The best solution is to look for health insurance for seniors with Medicare. These plans require no additional premiums and are specifically designed to make Medicare more manageable. They tend to merge all of your Medicare benefits and services into one place so you only need one card to deal with everything. It makes everything far simpler and prevents instances when you don’t know if Medicare covers a certain service or how to use it to pay for a medical need.
All in all, Medicare was created to be beneficial, but it still has a few flaws. Thankfully, there are ways for you to work around these issues and enjoy the general advantages of Medicare without all of the hassles. It’s far from a perfect system, but there are steps you can take to make it easier for you to use and understand.
