Mr. Xi will soon turn age 65 and has come to you for advice as to what
services are provided under Original Medicare. What should you tell Mr. Xi
that best describes the health coverage provided to Medicare beneficiaries? -
ANSWER-Beneficiaries under Original Medicare have no cost-sharing for most
preventive services
Mrs. Quinn recently turned 66 and decided after many years of work to begin
receiving Social Security benefits. Shortly thereafter Mrs. Quinn received a
letter informing her that she has been automatically enrolled in Medicare
Part B. She wants to understand what this means. What should you tell Mrs.
Quinn? - ANSWER-Part B primarily covers physician services. She will be
paying a monthly premium and, except for many preventive screening and
tests, generally will have 20 percent co-payments for these services in
addition to an annual deductible
Mr. Davis is 52 years old and has recently been diagnosed with end-stage
renal disease (ESRD) and will soon begin dialysis. He is wondering if he can
obtain coverage under Medicare. What should you tell him? - ANSWER-He
may sign up for Medicare at any time however coverage usually begins on
the fourth month after dialysis treatment
Mr. Alonso receives some help paying for his two generic prescription drugs
from his employer's retiree coverage, but he wants to compare it to a Part D
prescription drug plan. He asks you what costs he would generally expect to
encounter when enrolling into a standard Medicare Part D prescription drug
plan. What should you tell him? - ANSWER-He generally would pay a monthly
premium, annual deductible, and per-prescription cost sharing.
Ms. Brooks has an aggressive cancer and would like to know if Medicare will
cover hospice services in case she needs them. What should you tell her? -
ANSWER-Medicare covers hospice services and they will be available to her.
Mrs. Park is an elderly retiree. Mrs. Park has a low fixed income. What could
you tell Mrs. Park that might be of assistance? - ANSWER-She should contact
her state Medicaid agency to see if she qualifies for one of several programs
that can help with Medicare costs for which she is responsible.
Mrs. Duarte is enrolled in Original Medicare Parts A and B. She has recently
reviewed her Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) and disagrees with a
determination that partially denied one of her claims for services. What
advice would you give her? - ANSWER-Mrs. Duarte should file an appeal of