Medicare is a health insurance program funded by the Federal government.  With certain exceptions, an individual must be 65 years of age or older to be eligible for Medicare.

Part “A” of the Medicare program helps pay for certain services provided by a hospital, skilled nursing facility, hospice or home health agency. 

Part “B” of the Medicare program helps pay for physician and other services not covered by Part “A”.

Unless you have been automatically enrolled in Medicare, you may be required to file an application at your local Social Security office.  Once enrolled in Medicare, you should receive a Medicare card which will state your recipient claim number, and whether you are enrolled in Part “A”, Part “B”, or both.  Health care providers may require you to produce this card in order for you to use your Medicare benefits to help pay for services or products. 

Medicare Part “A” presently will pay, under certain conditions, a portion of inpatient skilled nursing or rehabilitation services provided in a participating nursing facility for up to one hundred (100) days after at least a three (3) day qualifying hospital stay.  Medicare will pay all of the covered services for the first twenty (20) days.  During the last eighty (80) days, the recipient is required to pay a daily co-insurance charge, and Medicare will pay the balance over and above the co-insurance amount. While the maximum Medicare benefit for a nursing home stay is 100 days, each resident’s coverage will vary based on individual medical conditions.

Hospice Care:  Hospice is a special way of caring for people who are terminally ill, and for their family.  This care includes physical care and counseling.  The goal of hospice is to care for you and your family, not to cure your illness.

Medicare covers Hospice Care if: 

• You are eligible for Medicare Part A; and
• Your doctor and the hospice medical director certify that you are terminally ill and probably have less than six months to live; and
• You sign a statement choosing hospice care instead of routine Medicare coverage benefits for your terminal illness; and
• You get care from a Medicare-approved hospice program.

Medicare will still pay for covered services for any health problems that are not related to your terminal illness.

Respite Care:  Medicare also covers respite care if you are getting covered hospice care.  Respite Care is inpatient care given to a hospice patient so that the usual caregiver can rest.  You can stay in a Medicare-approved facility, hospital or nursing home, up to 5 days each time you get respite care.  There is no limit to the number of times you can get respite care.  The amount you pay for respite care can change each year. 

The above information was obtained at www.Medicare.gov or for additional questions about Medicare, you can call your local Social Security office.