Medicare Part B covers manual manipulation of the spine if medically necessary to correct a subluxation when provided by a chiropractor or other qualified provider. Medicare doesn’t cover other services or tests ordered by a chiropractor, including X-rays, massage therapy, and acupuncture. If you only have Original Medicare, you will have to pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount; the Part B deductible also applies. If you are enrolled in a Medicare Supplement or Medicare Advantage, your deductible, copay, or coinsurance may be different or less depending on the plan you have chosen. Medicare Advantage plans may also offer additional chiropractic services. Please check your Medicare Advantage Summary of Benefits to see if your plan provides this supplemental benefit. Call Kevin Leinum Medicare Agent – your local Medicare Expert about what Medicare covers or how enrolling in a Medicare Advantage or Medicare Supplement plan can improve your coverage and reduce your out-of-pocket costs.

There are many benefits that people often think original Medicare will cover, and health club memberships are one of those. Original Medicare, Part A, and Part B do not cover any of the costs associated with gym memberships or fitness programs. However, other Medicare plan options may cover a gym membership cost as a part of their supplemental benefits. Medicare Advantage plans can offer a supplemental fitness benefit like a fitness club membership in their plans if they so choose. It is important to review the Summary of Benefits for each Medicare Advantage plan to understand if there is a fitness membership included and any limitations. Most of the fitness programs available as a part of Medicare Advantage plans limit you to a network of fitness clubs. Be sure you check and see if there are any located near you or that the one you want to go to is a part of the network. There are also a very few Medicare Supplement plans that also provide supplemental fitness benefits, but they are rare. Medicare Advantage or Medicare Supplement insurance companies may offer supplemental fitness benefits through companies like SilverSneakers and others. Kevin Leinum Medicare Agent – your local Medicare Expert – can help you understand the many parts of Medicare and determine what the right fit is for you. Give us a call to discuss the options available to you.

Original Medicare usually doesn’t cover health care while you’re traveling outside the U.S. and its territories. There are some exceptions, including some cases where Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) may pay for services that you get on board a ship within the territorial waters adjoining the land areas of the U.S. Medicare may pay for inpatient hospital, doctor, ambulance services, or dialysis you get in a foreign country in only a few rare cases, including the following: You’re in the U.S. when a medical emergency occurs that requires immediate medical attention to prevent a disability or death, and the foreign hospital is closer than the nearest U.S. hospital that can treat your medical condition. You’re traveling through Canada without unreasonable delay by the most direct route between Alaska and another state when a medical emergency occurs, and the Canadian hospital is closer than the nearest U.S. hospital that can treat the emergency. You live in the U.S., and the foreign hospital is closer to your home than the nearest U.S. hospital that can treat your medical condition, regardless of whether an emergency exists. Before you travel outside the U.S., talk with your Medicare Advantage, Medigap plan, or insurance agent to get more information about your travel benefits. Kevin Leinum Medicare Agent – your  Medicare Expert – can help you understand the many parts of Medicare.

There are important differences in coverage between home health care and nursing home care. The most crucial difference is that home health care can be covered by Medicare, whereas long-term care services in nursing homes are not. For a long-term nursing home, care is typically defined as non-medical custodial, which is not covered by Medicare. Original Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) and/or Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) cover eligible home health services like these: Part-time or “intermittent” skilled nursing care Physical therapy Occupational therapy Speech-language pathology services Medical social services Part-time or intermittent home health aide services (personal hands-on care) Injectable osteoporosis drugs for women Usually, a home health care agency coordinates the services your doctor orders for you. Original Medicare doesn’t pay for: 24-hour-a-day care at home Meals delivered to your home Homemaker services (like shopping, cleaning, and laundry), when this is the only care you need Custodial or personal care (like bathing, dressing, or using the bathroom), when this is the only care you need. The exact benefits and copays, coinsurance, and deductibles you are responsible for vary depending on whether you are enrolled in Original Medicare, Medicare Advantage, or a Medicare Supplement.

Kevin Leinum Medicare Agent – your local Medicare Expert