Lumaktaw sa pangunahing content

Medicare Update on COVID




Medicare will cover the lab tests for COVID-19 and you will pay no out-of-pocket costs. Medicare will also cover all medically necessary hospitalizations. This will include, if you're diagnosed with COVID-19 and might otherwise have been discharged from the hospital after an inpatient stay, but instead, you need to stay in the hospital under quarantine. 

If a vaccine for COVID becomes available, it will be covered by all Medicare Prescription Drug Plans (Part D). If you have a Medicare Advantage Plan, you have access to these Medicare covers related needs. Medicare will also allow these plans to waive cost-sharing for COVID-19 lab tests.

Medicare is also responsible for developing and enforcing the essential health and safety requirements that health care providers must meet on a daily basis in response to coronavirus. This includes;

  • Taking aggressive actions and exercising regulatory flexibilities to help healthcare providers and Medicare health plans.
  • To address the urgent need to increase capacity to care for patients, hospitals can now provide hospital services in other healthcare facilities and sites that aren’t currently considered part of a healthcare facility. This includes off-site screenings.
  • Waiving certain requirements for skilled nursing facility care.
  • Establishing new codes to allow providers to correctly bill for services related to diagnosis and treatment of the illness.
  • Instructing our national network of State Survey Agencies and Accrediting Organizations to focus all their efforts on infection prevention and other cases of abuse and neglect in nursing homes and hospitals.
  • Instructing nursing homes and hospitals to review their infection control procedures, which they're required to maintain at all times.
  • Issuing important guidance answering questions that nursing homes may have with respect for addressing cases of COVID-19.

Telehealth & related services

Medicare has temporarily expanded its coverage of telehealth
services to respond to the current Public Health Emergency. These services expand the current telehealth covered services, to help you have access from more places, with a wider range of communication tools, including smartphones, to interact with a range of providers, such as doctors, nurse practitioners, clinical psychologists, and licensed clinical social worker. You will be able to receive a specific set of services through telehealth including evaluation and management visits, mental health counseling and preventive health screenings without a copayment if you have Original Medicare. This will help ensure you are able to visit with your doctor from your home, without having to go to a doctor’s office or hospital, which puts you and others at risk of exposure to COVID-19.












Always remember:
Scammers may use the coronavirus national emergency to take advantage of people while they’re distracted. As always, you must guard your Medicare card like a credit card. From time to time check Medicare claims summary forms for errors, and if someone calls asking for your Medicare Number, immediately HUNG UP!



Mga Komento

Mga sikat na post sa blog na ito

Medicare and Living Abroad

Medicare   enrollment  can be complicated if you live outside the United States. This means that you do not live inside the  50 states of the U.S, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, or the Northern Mariana Islands. Although Medicare does not typically cover medical costs you receive when you live abroad, you still need to choose whether to enroll in Medicare when you become eligible or to turn down enrollment.  This is subject to consideration as well; Whether you plan to return to the U.S. Whether you are working or volunteering outside the U.S. The potential costs of delayed enrollment If you are  65 or older and qualify for Medicare , you can enroll in Medicare Parts A and B, also known as  Original Medicare , either before or after you leave the U.S . However, you must remember that Medicare will typically not cover medical care you receive outside the U.S.  Part A coverage is the best to keep eve...

Additional Information on Medicare for Kids

Medicare for Kids Covered Services All states provide comprehensive coverage for children, including: Routine check-ups Immunizations Doctor visits Prescriptions Dental and vision care Inpatient and outpatient hospital care Laboratory and X-ray services Emergency services Some specific benefits may be different from state to state. How do I find a health care provider in my area who accepts Medicaid or CHIP? If you already have a health care provider for your child, ask if he or she accepts Medicaid, CHIP, or the health plan you selected. If you've been getting care from a provider that doesn't accept Medicaid, CHIP, or any of its health plans, you may be able to keep using that provider for a short time until you can find another provider. Most Medicaid and CHIP programs and health plans have websites that tell you which providers are available. Call  your state Medicaid or CHIP agency   or your health plan's member services de...

NCOV -19 and MEDICARE 2020

Medicare Part B , which includes a variety of outpatient services cover medically necessary clinical diagnostic laboratory tests when a doctor or other practitioner orders them. Medically necessary clinical diagnostic laboratory tests are generally not subject to coinsurance or deductible. It will cover medically necessary imaging tests, such as computed tomography (CT) scans, as needed for treatment purposes for lung infections, however not for screening asymptomatic patients. For those imaging tests paid by Part B, beneficiary coinsurance and deductible would apply. If the Part B deductible ($198 in 2020) applies to the Part B services, beneficiaries must pay all costs - up to the approved amount of Medicare until the beneficiary meets the yearly Part B deductible. Once it is met, Medicare pays its share, and beneficiaries typically pay 20% of the approved amount of the service, except laboratory tests. There’s no yearly limit for what a beneficiary pays out-of-pocket tho...