Medicare Dental and Vision Benefits

Does Medicare Cover Dental and Vision?for one, you should become familiar with this
Medicare is the US health insurance plan forwebsite!
seniors and disabled people. It provides basicAnother great resource would be your
medical coverage, and it really helps our seniorssupplemental health insurance company. Call the
and disabled pay for health care. But originalcustomer service number and ask. MA plans,
Medicare does not pay for everything, and dentalmedi-gap health insurance, and retirement benefits
or vision benefits are very limited.will all be run by private companies. If you want
Routine care, like checkups, fillings, and glasses,to seek services you can call to make sure they
are not usually covered. Services may bewill be approved.
covered if they are associated with a medicalWhat if a Medicare Beneficiary has No Coverage
issue like an illness or injury.We are all concerned with our eyesight and teeth.
For example, Medicare may pay for a hospitalBut these services can be expensive. It may be
stay in the case of a complicated dentaltime to explore some alternatives before you
procedure. But it may not cover the actual dentalhave an emergency need.
work. For another example, Medicare does notDental Insurance - I am not surprised to see a lot
usually cover eyeglasses or contacts. However, itof dental insurance that is being marketed to
will pay after intraocular lens cataract surgery.seniors. Keep in mind that not all services will be
Does this sound complicated?covered, and you are likely to have deductibles,
Well, it can be hard to understand when servicescopays, and yearly maximums that are specified
will be covered and when they won't be. In anyin any policy. The coverage can help you plan for
case, even covered services may require aexpenses, but is not likely to totally eliminate all
deductible and copayments, so a patient is likelycosts.
to have out of pocket costs if they have originalDental Discount Plans - These are not insurance
Medicare.plans, but allow members to access networks of
The answer is even more complex if theservice providers who agree to discount services.
benificiary has other benefits. Some MedicareThis is similar to the negotiated price benefit
Advantage (MA) plans, for instance, do coverassociated with some PPO or HMO health
some routine dental work. Other people mayinsurance or dental insurance plans. While discount
have additional coverage through a retirementplans do not actually pay for services, they can
health insurance plan. But most covered people,help members save a lot of money. Some also
even with supplements or MA plans, do not haveinclude vision networks.
extra dental and vision benefits. So someCommunity or Government Dental and Vision
beneficiaries may have covered services, whileCare - I have seen ads for dental clinics, ad even
some do not.mobile dental care vans, at local community
How do you know what benefits you are entitledcenters. Many church or community sponsored
to?centers will have information on reduced fee
Medicare.gov is a great resource. This website,clinics for seniors, disabled people, or others with
run by CMS (Center for Medicare and Medicaid)low income. The federal government, state, or
actually answers many questions like this. You cancounty may also run reduced fee clinics in some
also look up information on Medicare Advantageareas. Your local health and human resources
plans. If you have trouble using the website, theyoffices should have information. There is help out
also provide a 1-800 contact phone number andthere for older people, but it can take some
email address. If you are a beneficiary, or caredigging to find it.