Medicare Key Terms

Some key terms for understanding and dealing with Medicare

Besides being among America's largest entitlement programs, Medicare is something that businesses frequently tangle with. Any business that includes health care records, direct care, or any aspect of the health care field, including residential care, will need to know a lot about how the Medicare program works. Reading up on the basic fundamental terms around Medicare will help someone just arriving on the scene to deal with Medicare in a business role.

 

Medicare eligibility

Medicare eligibility is the issue of whether or not an individual is qualified for Medicare benefits. Businesses pay attention to Medicare eligibility for figuring out the dimensions of their involvement.
Try: See a detailed explanation of Medicare eligibility from this Medicare page.

Medicare parts A, B & C

The Medicare entitlement program is made up of several parts. Medicare parts A, B & C are each different aspects of the program with different requirements and benefits. Knowing about these is important in administering Medicare or explaining it to a beneficiary.
Try: See more on these parts of the Medicare program at Manage My Practice.

Medicare part D

There's yet another part of Medicare that was added to the program by the Bush administration. Medicare part D covers prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries with its own system of rules and regulations.
Try: See more on Medicare part D at this Medicare Guide site.

Medicare supplement insurance

A Medicare supplement insurance plan is an insurance plan that a Medicare beneficiary can select to augment a Medicare benefit. Medicare related businesses make it a priority to know all about how these secondary plans work.
Try: Find details on Medicare supplement insurance plans at this AARP site.

Medicare reimbursement

Medicare reimbursement is the process by which the government pays health care providers for work done under Medicare benefits. There have been many articles written about Medicare reimbursement, as the coordination between the federal government and private doctors is not always easy.
Try: Find more resources on Medicare reimbursement at sites like PubMed.

Long term care

Long term care is the kind of service that the elderly often need. It can be in a nursing or convalescence home, a "skilled nursing facility," or at home with visiting nurses or hospice staff. Medicare has specific guidelines for long term care reimbursement that health care provider businesses will want to figure out.
Try: See more on long term care at this Consumer's Guide to Medicare.

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