Medicare Part B, as well as Medicare Part A, is part of the original Medicare plan. Part A covers inpatient care. That is, part A is hospital insurance. Part B covers medical services. So part B is health insurance. Part B covers medical services and some preventive services.
The necessary medical services are ordered by your doctor to diagnose or treat your health condition. Costs used during these medical services are also covered. Both medical services and materials used must comply with generally accepted standards of medical practice.
Preventive services are medical services designed to prevent illness. An example of this is the vaccine against influenza. The goal of flu shots for the prevention of influenza. Some diagnostic tests are also considered preventive services. They are used for early detection of diseases. In diagnostic testing, diseases can be used in the early stages, when treatment is usually more effective. Diseases that are in the early stages respond better to intervention and are less expensive to treat. The diseases found in the later stages are more complex and require more treatment.
An example of prophylactic diagnosis is screening for rectal cancer. This service is used to trap colorectal cancer in its earliest stages, when there is a higher likelihood of cancer inflammation and remission. More advanced cancer is expensive, and treatment may be ineffective. That's why Medicare Part B pays for colorectal screenings.
Part B requires you to pay a premium, while Part A is usually free. Most people pay a standard premium, however there is an income test. You may have to pay more. You will also have to pay more if you do not enter Medicare Part B when you are eligible for the first time. Generally speaking, if you receive social security benefits because you are 65 or older, you are automatically enrolled in Part B.
Thus, Medicare Part B is optional and may cover inpatient medical services that Part A does not cover. It is used to cover medical services that are on an outpatient basis. It also covers preventive medicine and some early diagnostic examinations.
You learned that part B is medical insurance, not medical insurance for a hospital, as part A. And you also learned some things that cover part B. What you didn't know was that Medicare Part A and Part B do not cover all your health care needs.
