Nine out of ten Medicare recipients, including myself and my wife, have private, supplementary insurance to cover what Medicare doesn't. My doctor charges me the market rate and then is reimbursed by Medicare and my private insurance company.
It is Medicaid that is the problem. Medicaid payments to doctors and hospitals are already so low – 30 to 40 percent less than under Medicare, that a growing number of doctors and hosptials don't accept Medicaid patients.
Back from church.
Medicare supplemental insurance only pays for items covered by Medicare. For example, if your doctor recommends a treatment not covered by Medicare your insurance won’t cover it either.
With my parents’ insurance (through the retired teacher’s association) it covered the deductible on the ALLOWED fees. That meant if the real fee was $1000, Medicare allowed a total fee of $500, of which they paid 80%. The insurance would pay the 20% of the $500, not 20% of $1000.
And of course, all of this is very confusing to many seniors. And lots of people who are NOT seniors.
Nine out of ten Medicare recipients, including myself and my wife, have private, supplementary insurance to cover what Medicare doesn't. My doctor charges me the market rate and then is reimbursed by Medicare and my private insurance company.
True, except the supplemental insurance only picksup the 20% of the 100% Medicare allowable.
a routine office visit of say 15 minutes the Dr charges say 150.00 Medicare allow 61.31 and pay 49.05 and the supplemental will pay the rest up to the 61.31.