The majority of individuals carry Medicare Part A along with Medicare Part B. By combing these two parts of Medicare the individual has coverage for all areas of Medicare. When combined these two parts of Medicare together provide comprehensive coverage yet it is not complete protection

In the past, Medicare has not provided protection for outpatient prescription medications. The Federal Government introduced legislation in 2003 to provide benefits for prescription drugs. In 2006 the new program went into effect. Since Medicare must approve all medical procedures is very important that each individual have a complete understanding of their Medicare coverage.

Medicare Part A and Part B are responsible for different types of expenses; they are also subject to different types of deductibles, co-payments, and other benefit limitations. In reality, it is as if the insured were covered by two different insurance companies, or a third, if you consider Medicare Advantage.

In order for medical expenses to be covered by Medicare they must be medically required and determined to be appropriate treatment for the illness as determined by physicians. Medicare must approve the treatment and it must have been ordered by a physician. Medicare will not provide coverage for experimental treatments or unique procedures. Medicare participants have the right to appeal the Medicare decision if a claim is denied for payment.

Medigap or Medicare Supplemental Insurance will only pay a claim if Medicare first accepts the expense as a reasonable charge.

Medigap Insurance is standardized and the 12 plans are labled with the letters A-L. All plans with the same letter do the identical thing regardless of the company. Prices may vary widely from one company to the next even though the plans are the same.

The Plan F has been the most widely purchased of the twelve plan choices for many years. The primary reason that most people have purchased Plan F is the fact that it covers 100% of excess medical expenses. Excess expenses are those charges which exceed the Medicare approved Part B amount. Actually, after careful analysis this may not be necessary because the majority of all physicians and hospitals except the Medicare allowable charge. Plan D or Plan C may therefore be a better choice if the premium is substantially lower than the Plan F premium.