Frequently Asked Questions about Medicare HMO Plans

What is a Medicare HMO Plan and How does it Work?

A health maintenance organization is also called as an HMO plan. It is suitable for those people who are looking for complete health insurance. Medicare HMO plans provide coverage for most of the health care expenses. Under Medicare HMO Plans, a person needs to give monthly premium along with co-payments for his visits at the physician and prescription medicines.

Medicare HMO Plans demand that the above mentioned amounts are paid when you receive services. The good part about Medicare HMO plans is that your monthly premiums won’t rise in case you receive more Medicare health care.

Medicare HMO Plans

Buying Medicare HMO Plans:
The first step you need to take in order to purchase a Medicare HMO Plan is to choose your PCP. PCP would be a doctor within your plan’s network and in case you need to see any other medical specialist within your network; you would require a referral from your PCP first.

Prior to choosing a Medicare HMO Plan, it is ideal to check out the provider network of all the major Medicare companies. A smaller network is most likely to cut-down your options; for instance, some networks may have very few or no doctors present.

Deductibles in Medicare HMO Plans are almost negligent however, very few deductible-free Medicare Health Insurance plans are being offered these days.

The highest costs crop up when you visit any physician outside your network. Under most circumstances, you would be exclusively responsible for paying the entire cost of the medical care you have received outside your Medicare HMO Plan network.

A Medicare HMO plan subsidizes health care costs up to a great extent by giving fixed monthly fees to all the physicians in their networks. Hence, they generally bill Medicare HMO plans less than their present rate. The out-of-pocket cost for seeing a PCP within the network is a co-payment between $10 and $50. Then again, doctors outside of that network do not have such motivation to absorb their costs.

Medicare HMO Plans are significantly lay emphasis on preventive care. Large numbers of specialists think that such type of focus could end in long term Medicare benefits and cost diminutions. Medical Tests and initial medication are included in an average Medicare HMO plan, permitting a lot of patients to take advantage of Medicare health care sooner.

Patients with HMO Medicare plans are more liable to catch diseases, like cancer, in their earliest phases. When illnesses are not very grievous, medication are more affordable and more effectual. This can lead to better health effects, in addition to lower Medicare health care costs.

HMO Medicare Plan

How to Decide Whether Your Organization Requires a Medicare HMO Plan?
Prior to deciding on a Medicare HMO Plan, ensure that your Medicare HMO would fulfil your organization’s requirements. You also need to make sure that the Medicare HMO plan is dependable and it caters your special needs.

In case your organization already has Medicare providers and experts, find out if you can use them again or not to buy Medicare HMO plans. Prior to joining any Medicare HMO Plan, also double check if the HMO is offering top-notch Medicare health care in your area.

Advantages of Buying a Medicare HMO Plan:
There are several advantages of buying a Medicare HMO plan. An individual, who has an HMO Medicare plan, can receive services by a PCP who would know particulars about the person's social, fiscal, family and personal situations. The PCP would then organize the person's Medicare health care in such a way that fewer services will likely be utilized.

Another plus point of buying a HMO Medicare Plan is that your PCP would be available to offer you Medicare health care services as and when you need them. Your PCP will also perform some medical tests and treatments prior to sending you to some specialist for advance treatment.

In case you go with a Medicare HMO plan, but need the help of a Medical specialist, you can get in touch with a member of the network who has contracted work with a HMO.

Medicare Advantage Plan
Monthly Payments (Average)
Number Of MA Contracts
Advantage Plan Penetration
 
United States $734 United States 428 United States 17.5%
 
Alabama $692 Alabama 41 Alabama 15.2%
Alaska NA Alaska 39 Alaska 0.5%
Arizona $651 Arizona 50 Arizona 30.1%
Arkansas $640 Arkansas 39 Arkansas 8.23%
California $652 California 52 California 30.7%
Colorado $649 Colorado 37 Colorado 28.2%
Connecticut $681 Connecticut 40 Connecticut 9.1%
Delaware $658 Delaware 37 Delaware 2.23%
District of columbia $776 District of columbia 41 District of columbia 8.12%
Florida $840 Florida 74 Florida 23.1%
Georgia $680 Georgia 49 Georgia 8.1%
Hawaii $639 Hawaii 41 Hawaii 34.4%
Idaho $647 Idaho 40 Idaho 18.2%
Illinois $680 Illinois 56 Illinois 7.22%
Indiana $641 Indiana 45 Indiana 9.5%
Iowa $618 Iowa 42 Iowa 11.8%
Kansas $675 Kansas 44 Kansas 6.2%
Kentucky $653 Kentucky 45 Kentucky 8.4%
Louisiana $855 Louisiana 42 Louisiana 16.1%
Maine NA Maine 38 Maine 2.23%
Maryland $815 Maryland 41 Maryland 5.5%
Massachusetts $737 Massachusetts 42 Massachusetts 14.2%
Michigan $816 Michigan 44 Michigan 14.1%
Minnesota $645 Minnesota 40 Minnesota 26.2%
Mississippi NA Mississippi 38 Mississippi 6.51%
Missouri $663 Missouri 45 Missouri 15.2%
Montana $591 Montana 38 Montana 11.2%
Nebraska $650 Nebraska 37 Nebraska 8.21%
Nevada $757 Nevada 41 Nevada 29.1%
New Hampshire $653 New Hampshire 33 New Hampshire 2.1%
New Jersey $807 New Jersey 42 New Jersey 8.2%
New Mexico $651 New Mexico 41 New Mexico 20.1%
New York $811 New York 64 New York 21.2%
North Carolina $647 North Carolina 40 North Carolina 13.3%
North Dakota $591 North Dakota 37 North Dakota 5.51%
Ohio $674 Ohio 54 Ohio 17.1%
Oklahoma $666 Oklahoma 42 Oklahoma 11.3%
Oregon $647 Oregon 53 Oregon 34.3%
Pennsylvania $778 Pennsylvania 59 Pennsylvania 31.1%
Rhode Island $655 Rhode Island 37 Rhode Island 30.2%
South Carolina $646 South Carolina 43 South Carolina 8.22%
South Dakota $591 South Dakota 36 South Dakota 3.2%
Tennessee $655 Tennessee 47 Tennessee 16.1%
Texas $742 Texas 57 Texas 13.0%
Utah $644 Utah 40 Utah 16.5%
Vermont NA Vermont 34 Vermont 1.1%
Virginia $671 Virginia 43 Virginia 8.7%
Washington $644 Washington 47 Washington 19.1%
West Virginia $707 West Virginia 40 West Virginia 6.23%
Wisconsin $618 Wisconsin 46 Wisconsin 18.2%
Wyoming NA Wyoming 35 Wyoming 2.3%

Read Complete Guide to Medicare Insurance

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Medicare is a federal program established to assist with health insurance. It applies to those aged 65+ and those who are younger but who suffer from certain health conditions that make them eligible.

If you are eligible and not enrolled automatically, you can sign up for Medicare by calling Social Security. If you are receiving social Security or certain other benefits, you may be automatically enrolled in Medicare. If you are unsure, call Social Security for assistance on 1-800-772-1213.

Basic Medicare covers those services that the government deems to be medically essential. Medicare Part A provides coverage for inpatient services in skilled nursing and hospital stays, hospices and home healthcare. Part B provides coverage for outpatient care including preventive care, doctor visits and lab tests. Part D provides coverage for most prescription drugs. Part C is privately sponsored Medicare Advantage plans that provide coverage for the gaps that Parts A, B and D don't fill.

There is various payments required by Medicare, which can include cost sharing, premiums and deductibles. There are certain government programs that assist with Medicare payments such as Low Income Subsidy payments for those with less income and fewer assets.

Some people have employer group health plans if they are actively employed. If this is the case it's possible that they will want to delay their Part B application while this plan is in effect.

If a person has creditable coverage for their prescription drugs, which is equally good if not better than regular Part D coverage, they may wish to delay Part D enrollment or forget it altogether. Creditable coverage will often be granted as part of some healthcare plans that are associate with Medicare, such as Veteran Affairs or Tricare.

Medicare can be supplemented with other useful plans such as Medigap, retiree plans and Medi-Cal (for those on a lower income or with fewer assets) which are not government sponsored, but privately issued. Other examples of private health plans include the popular Advantage plans which are comprehensive in their coverage. They include Medicare Part A and Part B but these are paid as part of the plan's premiums.

No. If your Medicare benefits are based on retirement, you must wait until age 65 to enroll. If you enter into retirement at age 62, you may have continued medical insurance from a previous employer or else you would have to purchase temporary health insurance from a private insurer while you wait to become eligible for medicare.

It is advisable to submit your Medicare application three months before your 65th birthday. You should receive your Medicare card around one month later, then coverage will start as soon as you turn 65. Those getting social security benefits will be enrolled in basic Medicare Part A and B automatically. If you don't wish to pay premiums for Part B, you may terminate your enrollment.

Termination of Part B enrollment is taken seriously and as such a form cannot be submitted online. You will be required to attend an interview with social services and may face a surcharge. To terminate enrollment, form CMS-1763 can be filled in person or over the phone and the consequences will be made clear to you.

If you are older than 65, you'll usually be required to sign up during the GEP or general enrollment period. This takes place between January 1st and March 31st and coverage commences on July 1st. There will most likely be a late enrollment penalty for those who sign up during the GEP which would mean a 10% rate increase for each month that you were eligible but did not enroll in Medicare.

If you have a low income or few assets, you may be eligible for financial assistance courtesy of the Medicare Extra Help program. This helps with monthly premiums, co-payments on Part D and annual deductible payments. Your Extra Help application also gets the ball rolling for the Medicare Savings Program, which assists with other Medicare-related costs. You will be contacted by the state with instructions to apply.