Medicare 101

Deciding between original Medicare or a Medicare Advantage Plan

Each year, seniors must decide on a Medicare plan for their individual health needs. The most important part of this decision is being educated on what the options are and matching those with your personal health needs.

At UofL Health, it’s important that our patients can make their own health care choices and are educated on all the available options.

What is Medicare?

Medicare is health insurance for:

65 or older adults
Disabled adults
People with End-Stage Renal Disease

What is Original Medicare?

Original Medicare is the national health program provided by the federal government. It covers everyone eligible nationally and provides in-network access to nearly all health care providers. Original Medicare covers most costs for health care services and supplies. In most cases, you don’t need a referral to see a specialist.

Original Medicare features two parts:

Part A: Hospital Insurance
Part B: Medical Insurance

You can also join a separate Medicare drug plan (Part D) to get medication coverage and/or buy a Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) policy to help lower your share of costs for services you recieve and may help provide coverage when you travel outside the U.S..

What is Medicare Advantage?

Medicare Advantage plans are private, for-profit based plans from private insurers. These plans limit in-network access to providers and may not cover many important health services. These plans also often require approval before certain care can be provided or require a referral to see a specialist. Medicare Advantage plans also have different out-of-pocket costs, and there may be an additional premium.

Medicare Advantage combines: