Does Medicare Cover Dental Services or Vision Services?

Millions of US retirees and disabled people rely on our public system for their health benefits. While Medicare is an important safety net, most of us realize it does not cover everythig. If you are already a Medicare recipient, if you are planning for your future retirement, or if you care for parents or other family members on Medicare, it is important to understand about some important health services that are barely covered.

No Routine Dental and Vision Coverage on Original Medicare

Routine services, like teeth cleaning, fillings, or eyeglasses are not normally covered under original Medicare today. Some beneficiaries may have a Medicare Advantage plan or retirement benefits that help with these services, but this is not part of original Medicare, Medicare supplements, or many Medicare Advantage plans.

Medicare may cover some dental and vision costs if they are associated with other covered expenses. i.e. eye or teeth problems that result from an illness or injury could be covered. Good resources are Medicare.gov (The official CMS website) or your senior health insurance provider.  Learn more about Medicare dental and vision services.

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What’s New For Medicare Health Plans in 2010

Change isn’t always well anticipated by Medicare beneficiaries, but you can be sure that CMS (Center for Medicare and Medicaid) is working for seniors and other Medicare recipients. Most US Seniors do rely on Medicare for their health insurance, though many purchase a private supplement to help manage costs for things that the basic Part A and Part B do not cover. If you do have a Medicare supplement, it is important for you to stay updated on your plan and your options.

Finding Medicare Health Insurance Quotes and Information

You can also find Medicare Health Insurance Quotes with simple online quote forms. And Medicare.gov has lots of good information, including a way to find plans that are marketed in your local area. Even though Medicare is a US federal program, private supplements, MA, and Part D Prescription plans are different by state, county, or even zip code.

2010 Medicare Supplement Changes

Medicare supplements, also known as medsups or medigap policies, are standardized by the government. You have probably heard about Plan A, Plan B, etc. This is not to be confused with Part A and Part B which are the parts of original medicare. We found a good post – Changes to Medicare 2010 - which outlines some of the more signifigant differences which will start in January.

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Medicare vs Health Reform?

If there is one US institution that is sacred with US seniors, it is Medicare. Medicare is the public health insurance option for American senior citizens and disabled people. If you are not familiar with Medicare, you can get a quick primer here: Compare Medicare Health Insurance.

Is Medicare Health Insurance Radical?

But it may surprise you to know that the beginning of this public health option were very hotly debated across all segments of society in the early 1960’s. And now, 50 years later, it is just part of the fabric of America. I wonder if some of they pundits on Fox News have gone back and look at some newspaper articles from the very late 1950’s or early 1960’s.

Health Insurance Reform Myths

I am not that big of a fan of AARP, because I find them a big marketing wing for insurance companies rather than the special interest group for the over 50 set they claim to be. But to my pleasant surprise, they have been very supportive of the idea that health care change has got to come! And why not? Even Wal-mart and many other large businesses support government reform.

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Will Health Reform Hurt Medicare?

This is sort of sadly ironic to me. I was always holding up Medicare as an American example of public health insurance, and I held it up as a good example! Now we have pundits on TV, and those 60 plus folks claiming that a revamp of US health insurance and health care will hurt Medicare. Among the claims are these, so-called, death interviews, which are supposed to make the infirm feel as if they are taking up to much space. But what is really true about health reform and Medicare?

The Great Senior Scare

I borrowed senior scare from factcheck.org. They outed one of the misleading (totally untrue!) ads from 60 plus.

Myth: Health reform will cut 500 billion dollars from Medicare.
Truth: Health reform will trim about half that from projected growth over the next 10 years.

Do you see the difference between cutting half a trillion dollars, and cutting a quarter of a trillion dollars from growth over the next decade?

Don’t Panic Yet – About Health Reform, That IS

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Medicare Health – Many Choices – Lots of Confusion!

>>>Find Low Cost, High Qualify Medicare Health Plans with A Fast, Safe, and Free Zip Code Search

The good news is that US senior citizens have more Medicare health plan choices than they used to. The not-so-good news is that those choices seem to come bundled with a lot of confusion. Seniors had the two original Medicare plans, part A and part B. Then came supplemental Medicare health insurance policies to fill in the “gaps” for things that Medicare did not pay. More recently, private insurers were able to off Medicare Advantage plans, which bundled medical coverage in one plan. And finally, Medicare Part D (Prescription Drug Coverage) hit the market.

Confused by it all? You are not alone, and it can be very tough to choose the Medicare Health plan, or combination of health plans, that will work the best for you. After all, everybody has different needs, expectations, and budgets. And of course, plans vary by county, zip code, and state, and so it would be impossible for anybody to say which plan is best. You need to find the best plan for you.

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