Did You Know?
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Staying Active in Cold Weather
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Diet and Diabetes
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Medicare Information
CMS administers the Medicare program, which covers 40 million Americans, including those age 65 and older, certain disabled persons under the age of 65, as well as people with ESRD (End Stage Renal Disease).Medicare has two basic parts, but a number of options available for you. Please review the information below for a summary of Medicare. You may find it valuable to visit the Medicare website for additional information or plan details.
Medicare Part A and B:
- Part A (Hospital Insurance)
- Most people will get this automatically when they turn 65 with nomonthly payment, if they or a spouse paid Medicare taxes while they were working.
- For people with 30-39 quarters of Medicare-covered employment, the monthly premium is $254.00.
- You may pay up to $461.00 per month if you don't get premium-free coverage.
- Part A is used to help pay for care in hospitals as an inpatient, critical access hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, hospice care, and some home health care.
- Part B (Medical Insurance)
- Part B helps pay for doctors' services, outpatient hospital care, and some other medical services that Part A does not cover, such as the services of physical and occupational therapists, and some home health care.
- $96.40 is the standard monthly Part B premium that most people will pay for 2010. Some people will pay a higher premium based on their income, as shown below. (The premiums are taken directly from your social security check, each month):
YOU PAY | If your yearly income is (for a single person) |
$96.40 | $85,000 or less |
$154.70 | $85,001-$107,000 |
$221.00 | $107,001-$160,000 |
$287.30 | $160,001-$213,000 |
$353.60 | Above $213,000 |
YOU PAY | If your yearly income is (for a married couple) |
$96.40 | $170,000 or less |
$154.70 | $170,001-$214,000 |
$221.00 | $214,001-$320,000 |
$287.30 | $320,001-$426,000 |
$353.60 | Above $426,000 |
YOU PAY | If you are married but you file a separate tax return from your spouse and your yearly income is |
$96.40 | $85,000 or less |
$287.30 | $85,001-$128,000 |
$353.60 | Above $128,000 |
In addition to Medicare Part A and Part B, you may have the option to enroll for extra coverage. Your additional options include:
- Medigap (Supplemental Insurance) Policies
- A Medigap policy is health insurance sold by private insurance companies to fill the “gaps” in original Medicare plan coverage. Medigap policies help pay some of the health care costs that the original Medicare plan doesn’t cover.
- There are up to 12 different standardized Medigap policies (Medigap Plans A through L). Medigap policies must follow Federal and State laws; and each plan, A through L, has a different set of basic and extra benefits.
- Generally, when you buy a Medigap policy you must have Medicare Part A and Part B. You will have to pay the monthly Medicare Part B premium AND a premium to the Medigap insurance company.
- To find and compare Medigap policies in your area, click here.
- Medicare Advantage Plans
- Medicare Advantage Plans are health plan options that are part of the Medicare program. If you join one of these plans, you generally get all your Medicare-covered health care through that plan. This coverage can include prescription drug coverage. Medicare Advantage Plans include:
- Medicare Health Maintenance Organization (HMOs)
- Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs)
- Private Fee-for-Service Plans
- Medicare Special Needs Plan - When you join a Medicare Advantage Plan, you use the health insurance card that you get from the plan for your health care. In most of these plans, there may be extra benefits and lower copayments than in the original Medicare plan. However, you may have to see doctors that belong to the plan or go to certain hospitals to get services.
- To join a Medicare Advantage Plan, you must have Medicare Part A and Part B. You will have to pay your monthly Medicare Part B premium to Medicare. In addition, you might have to pay a monthly premium to your Medicare Advantage Plan for the extra benefits offered.
- Click here to see a list of Medicare Advantage Plans available in Tarrant County.
- Medicare Advantage Plans are health plan options that are part of the Medicare program. If you join one of these plans, you generally get all your Medicare-covered health care through that plan. This coverage can include prescription drug coverage. Medicare Advantage Plans include:
Medicare Quick Links
Check your eligibility under Medicare
Find a Medicare Plan for you
View frequently asked questions about Medicare
Compare nursing homes in your area
Compare home health providers in your area