All United States retirees over the age of 65 have access to Medicare. This Social Security Administration service results in a significant reduction in overall medical expenses. For that reason, Medicare is essential for retirees, even though it is not available at any retirement age.
But one must be very careful about what services Medicare covers. It doesn’t work with all medical services and you may have to pay out of your retirement for part of them. And that’s why it’s better to be on notice and not get an unpleasant surprise when you turn 65. However, you have to consider that it is not only for new entrants to the system. All parts of Medicare are the same for all beneficiaries.
What does Medicare cover?
If we talk about the services covered by Medicare we find that Part A and Part B are always included for everyone. This is the original Medicare and it covers doctor visits and hospitalization. Therefore, this part we do not have to pay for. These services are “free” for those over 65 with available benefits.
In addition to this, Medicare Part D also includes prescription drug coverage. So retirees do not have to pay the full amount of the drugs they consume during retirement. This is the positive part of this service, but it also has dark parts that not all beneficiaries are aware of.
Medicare does not cover all services
We can say that Medicare is a great service because it helps cover retirees’ medical expenses. But not all medical expenses are covered by this part of Social Security. For starters, everything related to vision care is not included as part of the covered services. This means that eyeglasses, eye operations and similar services must be paid for by the retiree.
In addition, hearing aids are also outside of Medicare services. Thus, both vision care and hearing aids are expenses that depend 100% on the money available through Social Security. Finally, it is also important to note that long-term care is also not included in these expenses, so anything related to it will cost us money in retirement.