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Seniors love their Medicare insurance for a variety of reasons. And why wouldn’t they? Medicare provides quality health insurance to seniors over the age of 65. In addition to the hospital insurance and medical insurance that come with Original Medicare, seniors have a wide range of Medicare Advantage Plans, prescription drug plans, and supplement insurance options to choose from that can enhance their coverage. When it comes to the big stuff, all Medicare plans must provide certain benefits.
Whether seniors choose Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage, poll after poll has shown that kupuna are very satisfied with their Medicare health benefits. If you’re getting ready to transition to Medicare, you may be interested to know the reasons why seniors love their Medicare insurance.
Top 5 Reasons Seniors Love Medicare
1. Medicare wellness visits
When you sign up for Part B Medicare benefits, you are entitled to a free wellness visit within your first 12 months of membership (as long as the health provider you see takes assignment and no additional tests are ordered). This health check is called the “Welcome to Medicare” preventive visit and takes place in your home.
The nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant will ask questions about your current health status and lifestyle as well as provide appropriate screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol, STDs, breast cancer, cervical cancer, and diabetes, etc.
2. Preventative services
Medicare covers a range of preventative services in order to keep their beneficiaries as healthy as possible. The idea is that by providing free preventive services, diseases can be detected in their early stages and some diseases can be prevented altogether.
Some of the preventative services provided by Medicare are:
Mammogram screening every 12 months
Colonoscopies every 24 months if you are at high risk for colorectal cancer. (For others, the test is covered every 120 months, or 48 months after a previous flexible sigmoidoscopy).
Diabetes screenings up to every six months if your doctor determines that you are at risk for diabetes. Medicare Part B also covers a once-per-lifetime health behavior change program to help seniors prevent diabetes.
Flu shot every 12 months.
Alcohol abuse counseling
Counseling to stop smoking
3. Telehealth services
Telehealth is a great service provided by Medicare, beloved by many seniors. For those who have trouble leaving their homes, the ability to communicate with their doctor via video chat is a very convenient option. Doctors can provide care, issue prescriptions, and offer health education through desktop, laptop, tablet, or mobile device (iOS or Android). Seniors can also opt in to receive text messages for outbreaks or medical alerts that could affect them.
4. Medicare Advantage Plans
According to a morning consult poll of 3,975 seniors, 85% said they were happy with their Original Medicare insurance, while 88% of seniors on Medicare Advantage said they were happy with their insurance. The benefits of Medicare Advantage become clearer when we look at the cost. While 80% of seniors on Medicare Advantage said they were satisfied with the overall cost of their plans, just 68% of seniors on Original Medicare said they were satisfied with their overall costs. In fact, seniors on Medicare Advantage were more satisfied than seniors on traditional Medicare on every single measure in the study. If you are wondering about the benefits of choosing a Medicare Advantage Plan, speak to a Medicare agent in your area who can discuss your options.
5. Provides health insurance many could not otherwise afford
Before Medicare was established in 1965, millions of seniors were living in poverty and struggling to access medical care and pay their medical bills. Medicare has been a lifeline to seniors ever since.
Medicare coverage remains one of the most important programs for reducing poverty and increasing health outcomes for low-income seniors.
Our independent insurance agents are dedicated to assisting people on Medicare and those who are ready to transition from employer coverage to personal retirement coverage. We help kupuna understand their benefits options and apply for additional coverage, as needed. Because we represent all the major Medicare Advantage and supplement plans in Hawaii, we are able to offer unbiased advice; all at no cost to our clients.
At PBC, our clients are our number one priority and we look forward to getting to know you and your needs. Call us today at (808) 738-4500 to see how we may be of assistance.