Beyond Original Medicare
Dental, Vision, Hearing & Other Coverage
While Original Medicare (Parts A and B) provides essential hospital and medical coverage, it’s important to understand its limitations, especially concerning routine dental, vision, and hearing care. At Maria Hansen Insurance, we help you explore options that go beyond Original Medicare, ensuring you have comprehensive coverage for the services that truly impact your quality of life. We’ll discuss what Medicare doesn’t cover and how you can fill those crucial gaps, including Medicare preventative services.
What Original Medicare Doesn’t Cover (and How to Get It)
One of the most frequent questions we receive is, “Does Medicare cover eyeglasses?” and similar inquiries about dental and hearing services. The short answer for Original Medicare is generally no for routine care. Original Medicare typically covers medically necessary services, not routine preventative or maintenance care for dental, vision, or hearing.
- Medicare Dental: Original Medicare usually doesn’t cover routine dental care like cleanings, fillings, tooth extractions, or dentures. It may cover certain dental services that are part of a larger medical procedure, such as a jaw reconstruction after an injury.
- How to get coverage: Most people obtain Medicare dental benefits through a Medicare Advantage plan (Part C) or a standalone dental insurance policy. Many Medicare Advantage plans now include comprehensive dental benefits. We can help you find plans with Medicare dental vision hearing Mooresville NC benefits.
- Medicare Vision: Original Medicare doesn’t cover routine eye exams, eyeglasses, or contact lenses. It does cover medical eye conditions, such as cataracts (including surgery and corrective lenses after surgery), glaucoma, and macular degeneration, under Medicare Part B.
- How to get coverage: Similar to dental, routine vision care, including eye exams and eyeglasses, is often included in Medicare Advantage plans. Standalone vision plans are also available. We help clients evaluate Medicare dental vision hearing Mooresville NC options.
- Medicare Hearing: Original Medicare does not cover routine hearing exams, hearing aids, or fittings for hearing aids. It covers diagnostic hearing and balance exams if a doctor orders them to determine if you need medical treatment.
- How to get coverage: Hearing aid benefits and routine hearing exams are increasingly offered through Medicare Advantage plans. Specialized hearing aid programs or standalone hearing plans can also be an option. We explore plans offering Medicare dental vision hearing Mooresville NC benefits to ensure you have access to these vital services.
Other Important Coverage & Services
Beyond these specific areas, it’s essential to understand the full scope of what Medicare provides and what might need supplementation.
- Medicare Preventative Services: Original Medicare does cover a wide range of preventive services designed to keep you healthy and catch problems early. This includes annual wellness visits, various screenings (e.g., for cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease), and vaccinations. These services are often covered at 100% with no copayment or deductible, emphasizing the importance of utilizing them.
- Medicare Coverage for Hospital Stay: Medicare Part A provides significant coverage for inpatient hospital stays. However, it’s important to be aware of the deductible and potential coinsurance for extended stays. Medigap plans or Medicare Advantage plans can help cover these costs.
- Medicare Outpatient Services: Medicare Part B covers a broad array of outpatient services, including doctor visits, laboratory tests, X-rays, and outpatient surgery. You generally pay a deductible and 20% coinsurance for these services. Again, Medigap or Medicare Advantage plans can help reduce these out-of-pocket expenses.
- What Medicare Doesn’t Cover: Beyond dental, vision, and hearing, Original Medicare generally doesn’t cover long-term care (like nursing homes or assisted living for non-medical reasons), cosmetic surgery, or care received outside the U.S.
At Maria Hansen Insurance, we take a holistic approach to your health coverage. We help you understand these gaps and explore solutions, including Medicare Advantage plan benefits that often bundle these services. For those in Mooresville NC, we ensure you know about Medicare dental vision hearing Mooresville NC options and other valuable benefits, allowing you to maximize your health and well-being.