Original Medicare

🏥 What Is Original Medicare?

Original Medicare is a health insurance program from the U.S. federal government. It’s mostly for people 65 and older, but also helps some younger people with disabilities.

It helps cover the basics of healthcare, like going to the doctor or the hospital — but it doesn’t cover everything.

📦 What Does It Include?

Original Medicare has two parts:

1. Part A – Hospital Insurance

Covers things like:

Staying in a hospital
Skilled nursing care (short-term rehab, not long-term care)
Hospice care
Some home health care

👉 Most people don’t pay a monthly premium for Part A if they worked and paid taxes long enough.

2. Part B – Medical Insurance

Covers things like:

Doctor visits
Outpatient care (like blood tests or X-rays)
Preventive services (like flu shots)
Some home health care
Some medical equipment (like wheelchairs)

👉 You do pay a monthly premium for Part B (in 2025, it’s usually around $175/month).

❌ What’s NOT Included?

Original Medicare does NOT cover:

Most prescription drugs (you’d need a Part D plan for that)
Dental care
Vision (like eye exams or glasses)
Hearing aids
Long-term care (like nursing homes)

🏥 How Does It Work?

You can go to any doctor or hospital in the U.S. that accepts Medicare — no networks!
You pay a deductible (amount before coverage kicks in) and 20% of the cost for most services after that (this is called "coinsurance").

Many people buy a Medicare Supplement plan (called Medigap) to help pay for those out-of-pocket costs.

🧓 Simple Example:

John is 70 years old.
He has Original Medicare. He goes to his regular doctor for a check-up.

Medicare Part B pays 80% of the doctor’s fee
John pays the remaining 20% out of his pocket (unless he has a Medigap plan)

🟢 Summary

✅ Run by the government
✅ You can see any doctor or hospital that takes Medicare
✅ Covers hospital and doctor visits
❌ Doesn’t cover prescriptions, dental, vision, or hearing
💵 You pay 20% of most medical costs unless you buy extra coverage