Sometimes, the Medicare system has your back. That’s when seniors love Medicare the most.
There are at least four Medicare programs that should put a smile on your face and make you happy to be a Medicare beneficiary. Well, if not happy, then, at least, thankful. These services either are designed to keep you healthy, safe, and un-stressed. Some of them are free.
Here’s why many seniors love Medicare!
1. Medicare preventative services
Medicare wants you to be as healthy as possible. There are a number of preventative services that are designed to alert your doctor to diseases that might be in their early stages. Some prevent disease. Others help you overcome harmful addictions that are bad for your health.
Human disease detection is done through medical tests and screenings. They include an annual mammogram, a colonoscopy, and diabetes screening. Flu shots work to prevent illness and death that can be the result of some of the dangerous flu bugs that have been circulating recently.
Medicare preventative services for addiction include alcohol abuse counseling and counseling to stop smoking. And the best thing about these services? They are free.
2. Medicare wellness visits
Your wellness checkup will take place in the comfort of your own home. When you are in the first 12 months of being a new Medicare member, you can sign up for a Welcome to Medicare preventative visit. This first visit is free.
After you’ve been a member for more than a year, you are eligible for a Medicare Yearly Wellness Visit. A nurse practitioner or a physician’s assistant will give the same checkup you would get in the office. It is free unless your doctor orders additional tests that are not included in the regular visit. In this case, you will be responsible for the same coinsurance as though you had been in the office.
3. Medicare telehealth services
Another reason seniors love Medicare is Telehealth, a new classification of services, meaning there are now a number of technological methods available to carry out care as well as health education. Video conferencing means you can interact in real-time from your home with caregivers. No traveling to an office or hospital. If you are a chronically ill patient or have a disability, this is a terrific solution.
Both care and education can be communicated via cell phones, tablets, or even PDAs. This system for mobile health can also be used to text you about any medical alerts or outbreaks that might affect you.
You will pay the same for telehealth services as though you received them onsite in an office or hospital.
4. Medicare identity protection
Medicare cares about your personal information. It recently has come out with new Medicare cards, which you should receive in the mail soon. Instead of displaying your Social Security number (who thought that was a good idea?), it has a randomly selected series of numbers and letters that are your new patient identifier.
You should not only safeguard this card so that no one can steal your identification and use it for fraudulent purposes, but you should also completely destroy your old card so that no one can access your Social Security number.
The new cards are absolutely free. If someone calls and asks you to pay a fee for your new card, hang up immediately. They are scam artists.
These four Medicare benefits are designed to keep you safe and healthy and make your life easier. This is why we believe seniors love Medicare.
