Medicare Basics
A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY
You can read a complete history of Medicare at cms.gov. What might be interesting to know is that Medicare was signed into a law by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965. It was created as a “Medical necessary” insurance. In those days, it didn’t cover preventive services (like mammograms) and prescription drugs. It also limited who could have been a qualified member.
Over the years there have been many amendments to the law by various presidents. Since inception, Medicare has two parts: Part A (Hospital Insurance) and Part B (Medical Insurance). These two parts which are obtained from the Federal Government are called “Original Medicare.”
Original Medicare only covers a one-time Welcome to Medicare physical exam when you are first eligible. Medicare added prescription drug (Part D) coverage in 2006 but you cannot get it directly from the Federal government. Original Medicare doesn’t cover dental, vision, hearing aids, gym membership and many other extra benefits you might have heard about in some TV and radio advertising. You can only get Part D and all the extra benefits from private insurance companies. This is where I can assist you. These private insurance companies have contracts with Medicare and must follow Medicare guidelines.
Your Original Medicare claim number (ID Number) used to contain your or your spouse social security number. To prevent identity theft, in 2018 Medicare cards contains a unique number called Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) that is not associated with a social security number.
