Medicare
Medicare is a federal insurance program created by Title XVIII of the Social Security Act of 1965. It was originally designed to protect people over 65 years of age and older from the rising costs of health care. In 1972, permanently disabled workers, their dependents, and people with end-stage renal disease were added to the program. There are two parts to the program:
- The hospital insurance program (HI or Part A) covers inpatient hospital services, post hospital skilled nursing services, home health care services, and hospice care.
All persons age 65 and older are eligible for Part A simply by enrolling, although there are deductible and co-insurance provisions.
- The supplementary medical insurance program (SMI or Part B) covers physician services, outpatient hospital services, and therapy.
A premium must also be paid for those eligibles, for part B coverage, that includes a deductible and co-insurance.
Medicare is financed by a combination of general federal tax revenues and federal payroll taxes levied on employers and employees in addition to the enrollee payments. In 1990, Medicare covered more than 34 million people; if financed 45% of the public share of personal health care spending and 18.6% of total personal health care spending. Between 1970 and 1990, Medicare expenditures increased at an annual rate of 14.3%.
Additional Resources
This program, provided by UW-Cooperative Extension, covers issues related to health and health care delivery in our society. [more]
You will find nformation pertaining to enrollment, billing, providers, coverage options, etc. [more]
Access publications, outreach materials, and many other resources. [more]
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On-line Course, Additional classroom materials and in-depth PowerPoint Presentations [more]
Consumer alerts, information on long-term care, Medicare, Medigap policies, glossaries of terms, and access to consumer publications. [more]
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