Medicare is a national health insurance program that was designed for people over the age of 65 and also people with certain disabilities or illnesses, such as End-Stage Renal Disease. Though original Medicare provides for many things, such as certain preventive care procedures, doctor’s visits, immunizations and hospital stays, Medicare’s original design was not meant to cover all the cost of your healthcare. Instead, you will share in some of the costs of Medicare by paying deductibles, co-pays and co-insurance at the time of your care.

What You Are Expected to Cover

Medicare has two parts. Part A is your hospital coverage, which also includes hospice, blood transfusions, and short-term stays in skilled nursing facilities. Part B is your outpatient coverage, which covers a wide array of medical services from ordinary sick visits to very serious treatments such as chemotherapy or dialysis. Each of these two parts of Medicare has a deductible and then coinsurance that you are expected to pay. For example, for a hospital stay in 2012, you would owe a deductible of $1156 without supplemental insurance, and for your Part B medical services, you would owe a deductible of $140 and then up to 20% of all the remaining Medicare-approved charges. This can lead to staggering financial exposure when unforeseen accidents and illnesses arise.

Medicare Supplements Can Help

Medicare Supplements, also called Medigap plans, fill in some or all of these gaps in Medicare depending on the Medigap plan that you choose. Our federal government has standardized medicare supplements so that you can easily know exactly what you are buying no matter which insurance carrier you buy it from. Choosing a blue medicare supplement is a personal decision, and one that should not be taken lightly. This site will cover some of the information you need to know about all Medicare supplements, and in particular, medicare supplements from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas.

Freedom of Access to your Chosen Providers

CHOOSE YOUR OWN PROVIDER!

All standard Medicare supplements, including those from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, allow you to choose your own doctors and hospitals.  The healthcare provider must accept Medicare, of course, but  as long as the provider accepts Medicare, then your Medicare supplement will also be accepted. You are covered not only just in your home state of Texas, but also anywhere else in the country. This makes Blue Medicare supplements an ideal choice of coverage for people who travel frequently and are concerned about being able to see local physicians when visiting family or friends out of state.

Need help choosing a Medicare supplement from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas? Contact a helpful agent today by clicking the link above.