While Medicare covers a wide range of care, not everything is covered. Original Medicare does not cover most dental care, eye exams, hearing aids, acupuncture, and cosmetic surgeries. However, it covers many other healthcare services, like hospitalization, doctor visits, and more.
What Original Medicare Doesn’t Cover
Some of the items and services Medicare doesn’t cover include:
- Dental exams, most dental care or dentures
- Routine eye exams, eyeglasses, or contacts
- Hearing aids or related exams or services
- Most care while traveling outside the United States
- Help with bathing, dressing, eating, etc. (custodial care)
- Comfort items such as a hospital phone, TV, or private room
- Long-term care
- Cosmetic surgery
- Most chiropractic services
- Acupuncture or other alternative treatments
- Routine foot care
You may have to pay for these services yourself unless you have other insurance that covers them. Some Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans may help with certain services not covered by Original Medicare and can include coverage for things such as dental or hearing care, but this ultimately depends on the type of Medicare Advantage plan as others will not include this coverage.
If you think you or a loved one will need long-term care, you should also consider a separate long-term care insurance policy.
What Can I Do?
If you find that your current Medicare coverage isn’t covering items or services you need, reach out to Senior Savings USA to review all your coverage options. If it’s out-of-pocket costs you are worried about, we can walk you through all ten Medigap options to see if basic or comprehensive coverage would suit you best.
If you want more coverage than what Original Medicare can provide for specific services, you can look into a Medicare Advantage plan as previously mentioned. They are required to provide the same coverage as Original Medicare, but some also provide additional coverage for other services that Original Medicare won’t typically cover.
If you need prescription drug coverage, you can certainly look into adding a Part D plan alongside your Original Medicare coverage. If you opt for an Advantage plan, you may even be able to get this coverage as an added benefit.
You should also keep in mind that it’s possible to have other coverage with Medicare. This means you can look into separate standalone policies to see what would help cover the things you need most while still using Medicare. At Senior Savings USA, we can help you determine the coverage you need and figure out which type of policy would work best with your Medicare coverage.
For more information about Medicare and its coverage options, contact Senior Savings USA today at 800-409-3808!
