How Does Medicare Work
Medicare Plans
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Medicare Part A
Medicare Part A is the part of Medicare that helps to cover your hospital expenses. If you have to have a bit of a stay in a hospital, you will be covered. It also covers medicines that are administered at the hospital and other services that happen there. It also covers things like time in a skilled nursing facility, and end of life hospice care. It may also include some at home nursing assistance. It covers a total of 90 days per hospital stay, and 100 days in a skilled nursing facility per stay. If you need more than that, everyone gets a lifetime 60 days extra.
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Medicare Part B
This part of Medicare helps to pay for your regular medical expenses like going to the doctor, getting lab tests done and screening for different diseases. If you need x-rays or medical supplies, Part B will help. Just as with normal health insurance, you will have to pay a deductible in the beginning of the year. Once that deductible has been reached, your expenses will be covered with a certain percentage of coinsurance, but you’ll still have to pay for some of it. Typically you will still have to pay 20% of the cost, but Medicare helps to pay for 80% which is a hefty chunk.
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Medicare Part C
Medicare Part C is a unique type of Medicare through private insurance. Some insurance companies have taken it upon themselves to combine parts A & B in private plans to offer to people who can afford to pay a little bit more. Medicare Part C is also sometimes called Medicare Advantage. The benefit to having this type of plan is that they have to cover all the benefits of Medicare Parts A & B, but they may also provide other benefits like eye care, hearing care, dental and vision coverage. Some plans also offer a lower deductible and a different proportion of coinsurance.
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Medicare Part D
Medicare part D is all about covering you for your prescription medications. How it works is a bit complex but once you understand it fully, it makes a lot of sense. You will have to pay a premium for it each month. There is also a deductible of $405 at the start of each year. After you pay the deductible, you will get 75% coinsurance for your prescriptions until you have spent up to $2700. At that point you will reach the “donut hole” and you will have to pay a higher percentage. Then when you spend up to $5000 you will only have to pay 5% of the cost after that!
Medicare and CBT
Do you know what CBT is? CBT stands for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. This is a type of psychotherapy treatment that will help guide the person to enhance mental health. This is usually recommended for people who are having trouble with perceiving reality from fantasy. This can also be helpful for those who are going through tough times and are unable to cope.
This type of therapy aims to help the person change his way of thinking and behaving. Through the change, the person will realize how his current problem can be solved. A lot of people already have a distorted view of their personal realities because of the things they have gone or are going through.
The patient will be taught different types of coping strategies so that the person will know what to do with his present situation. People of all ages may be recommended to take this type of therapy depending on their mental condition.
Medicare Plans to Cover CBT Therapy
If you are a Medicare plan holder, your CBT therapy sessions may be covered if you have Plan B coverage. This can pay up to 80% of the total deductible. Take note that not all therapists and doctors will accept Medicare. You need to look for Medicare-approved therapists and doctors. Once again, Medicare will pay for more than half of the total but a lot of doctors will charge much higher compared to others.
You may end up paying a high percentage for the remaining 20% for the CBT therapy. If you have another supplemental insurance that can help shoulder the expenses for this, then you can lessen the stress that you are feeling.
