Medicare is health insurance for people 65 or older. You’re eligible to sign up for Medicare 3 months before you turn 65, and 3 months after, giving you a 7 month window to enroll. You may be eligible to get Medicare earlier if you have a disability.
The basics of Medicare begin with the two “Parts” that make up Original Medicare, Part A & B. After basic coverage is acquired, you have options. Let’s explore the fundamentals.
All Parts of Medicare are regulated by the federal government. Only Parts A & B are also provided by the government. Parts C & D are provided by Private Insurance.
Hospital care
Skilled nursing facility care
- Doctor visits
- Mental health care
- Outpatient surgery
- Lab tests
- Medical equipment like wheelchairs and walkers
- Everything parts A and B cover
- Many plans cover prescription drugs
- Many plans cover additional benefits like dental and vision
- Prescription drugs are covered through Part C or a stand alone prescription plan.
- Drugs are grouped into tiers based on cost.
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Hospital & Inpatient Care
Medicare Part A covers:
- Hospital Care
- Nursing Facility Care
- Hospice Care
- Home Health Services
Part A is hospital insurance that assists you with the cost of inpatient care and skilled nursing facility stays. It also helps with things like hospice and home health care. In general, you should think of the inpatient hospital benefit as Medicare coverage for room and board in the hospital.
Part A covers the cost of your semi-private room. However, Part A does NOT cover many of the actual treatments that might occur, such as scans or surgeries. (Those fall under Part B. More on that next!)
The cost of Part A for most people at age 65 is $0. This is because during working years you or your spouse have paid taxes to pre-fund the premiums for your hospital benefits. If you don’t automatically qualify for premium-free coverage, most individuals can still apply for it. You’ll pay a hefty monthly premium to get it though.
Doctor Visits & Outpatient Care
Medicare Part B covers:
- Medically necessary services: Services or supplies that are needed to diagnose or treat your medical condition and that meet accepted standards of medical practice.
- Preventive Services: Health care to prevent illness (like the flu) or detect it at an early stage, when treatment is most likely to work best.
Part B is your outpatient medical coverage. Without Part B, you would be uninsured for doctor’s visits (including doctors who treat you in the hospital). You would also not have Medicare coverage for lab work, preventive services, and surgeries.
More importantly, Part B covers cancer therapy and kidney dialysis. These are extremely expensive items that would cost a fortune without additional coverage.
It is important to note that while Part A is free for most Americans, Part B is not and will require a monthly premium you will pay for Outpatient services. Late enrollment penalties and income based adjustments may apply.
If you have NO other creditable coverage, such as employer coverage, it’s very important to have BOTH Medicare Parts A and B. COBRA is NOT creditable coverage.
Medicare Advantage
Medicare Advantage plans are one of two types of additional coverage for Medicare.
A Medi-Gap or “Medicare Supplement” is offered by private insurance companies to help pay all or most of the cost left behind by Medicare Part A and B. These plans have the following features and benefits:
- Guaranteed Renewable for Life
- No Network Restrictions
- See any Doctor who accepts Original Medicare
- A set monthly premium (no surprises)
- No Deductibles
- No Co-Pays*
- Multiple Plans to Choose from
- Does not have a drug plan tied to the Policy
To enroll in a Part C plan, you must first be enrolled in both Parts A and B. Even if you find a Part C plan with a very low premium, you will still pay for Part B. You must also live in the plan service area.
Once you enroll, your Medicare coverage will come from the Advantage plan itself, not from the government.
The reason you don’t enroll in Part C at Social Security is that Part C is voluntary. Many people prefer to get their Medicare coverage from Original Medicare and traditional Medigap plans. The reason you don’t enroll in Part C at Social Security is that Part C is provided by private insurance.
It is your choice whether you wish to opt for one as opposed to just staying with your original Medicare A & B and enrolling in Medigap in addition to a Part D plan.
Prescription Drug Coverage
Medicare Part D is a federal prescription drug program administered through private insurance companies. Prescription drugs are covered through Part C or stand alone prescription drug plans.
These companies offer retail prescription drug coverage to Medicare beneficiaries. Prior to 2006, when Medicare Part D began, tens of thousands of Medicare beneficiaries in America had little help with retail drug costs. They would often spend thousands of dollars each year paying for their medications out of pocket.
Medicare Part D plans offer coverage for common generic and brand name prescription drugs, with the government setting guidelines for what medications Medicare Part D plans must cover. However, the prescription drugs covered do vary from plan to plan. Be sure to verify with your agent that your prescriptions are covered in each plan’s list of covered medications.
Medicare Parts A & B, or Original Medicare, cover drugs administered during hospital or doctor visits but not medications you are prescribed to take after those visits have concluded.
There are 4 stages to a Part D drug plan, as follows:
- Annual Deductible
- Initial Coverage
- The Coverage Gap
- Catastrophic Coverage
Unitus Medicare Advisors will help find you the plan that fits you based on your prescription drugs and desired pharmacy. Late enrollment penalties and income based adjustments may apply.
Hospital & Inpatient Care
It all began in 1986 when Multiple Sclerosis Limited (MSL) identified the need for high-quality care services for people living with this chronic disease.
By 1999, MSL recognised the time had come to establish NanoCare as a separate legal entity. A savvy and experienced Board was appointed and we were firmly on the path to growth.
This growth was boosted by a series of acquisitions within the care sector between 2001 and 2008. By then, we had earned a reputation as an experienced and sizeable private care service provider.
In 2010, the purchase and integration of Nationwide Health & Aged Care Services represented a major milestone in our growth as specialist cleaning and laundry services bolstered our business portfolio.
At around the same time, NanoCare partnered with the US-based Healthcare at Home. In 2013, NanoCare acquired the business. This nurse-led service has provided a safe, high-quality alternative to hospital care for people with cancer and chronic disease.
Today, we are proud to continue our work as a wholly-owned, not-for-profit subsidiary of MSL
Doctor Visits & Outpatient Care
It all began in 1986 when Multiple Sclerosis Limited (MSL) identified the need for high-quality care services for people living with this chronic disease.
By 1999, MSL recognised the time had come to establish NanoCare as a separate legal entity. A savvy and experienced Board was appointed and we were firmly on the path to growth.
This growth was boosted by a series of acquisitions within the care sector between 2001 and 2008. By then, we had earned a reputation as an experienced and sizeable private care service provider.
In 2010, the purchase and integration of Nationwide Health & Aged Care Services represented a major milestone in our growth as specialist cleaning and laundry services bolstered our business portfolio.
At around the same time, NanoCare partnered with the US-based Healthcare at Home. In 2013, NanoCare acquired the business. This nurse-led service has provided a safe, high-quality alternative to hospital care for people with cancer and chronic disease.
Today, we are proud to continue our work as a wholly-owned, not-for-profit subsidiary of MSL
Combined A & B Plan
It all began in 1986 when Multiple Sclerosis Limited (MSL) identified the need for high-quality care services for people living with this chronic disease.
By 1999, MSL recognised the time had come to establish NanoCare as a separate legal entity. A savvy and experienced Board was appointed and we were firmly on the path to growth.
This growth was boosted by a series of acquisitions within the care sector between 2001 and 2008. By then, we had earned a reputation as an experienced and sizeable private care service provider.
In 2010, the purchase and integration of Nationwide Health & Aged Care Services represented a major milestone in our growth as specialist cleaning and laundry services bolstered our business portfolio.
At around the same time, NanoCare partnered with the US-based Healthcare at Home. In 2013, NanoCare acquired the business. This nurse-led service has provided a safe, high-quality alternative to hospital care for people with cancer and chronic disease.
Today, we are proud to continue our work as a wholly-owned, not-for-profit subsidiary of MSL
Prescription Drug Coverage
NanoCare is committed to providing high-quality health care services to individual clients and their families, as well as to other healthcare organizations in need of supplemental staffing (such as certified home health and hospice agencies, health plans, hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living facilities).
Our priority is to provide state-of-the-art and compassionate in-home care from highly-trained medical professionals and aides. To make good on this promise, proper training is paramount. Not only do we hire the most experienced personnel, but we provide them with in-depth disease-specific training so that they can deliver specialized care to our clients.
At NanoCare, we believe everyone should have the opportunity to live a healthy, active and fulfilling life. This ethos is at the heart of everything we do.
We provide everyone we support with the opportunity to continue to live life to the full. We actively encourage Service Users to become more self-reliant, to make decisions for themselves, and ultimately, to move on to more independent living arrangements.
We facilitate and support our Service Users to pursue meaningful and personalised lifestyles. We provide individually planned education & leisure opportunities to support each individual in their ongoing development.
Our leadership team
Our home health care management team is highly experienced in delivering exceptional care and support for clients – regardless of age or specific medical needs.
The leadership team at NanoCare discusses what home care means to them and how NanoCare is changing the way the world ages.
Keira Knightley
CEO/Chief
For her role at the helm of NanoCare, Keira has been honored as Women Health Care Executives 2016 Woman of the Year.
John henry
CEO/President
John henry is the co-founder of NanoCare. He has over 27 years of financial and business management experience.
Sophia jabola
VP of Franchise Development
She is currently responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Payroll, Billing and Collection departments.
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