Medicare Part B will cover a psychiatric evaluation that may be necessary to diagnose your treatment so that you may seek assistance.  This is a great service that can help you understand what your situation is and how you can deal with it on your own terms.

Medication management is also offered by Medicare Part B as a way of helping you understand what drugs you should use and why.  This is a great way to learn about the effects that certain types of medication can have on you and can be beneficial for family as well.

Occupational therapy that’s part of your mental health treatment is covered by Medicare Part B so that you can function as close to normal as possible.  The better you can get around in your normal life, the better your quality of life will be and that is the entire point of Medicare.

Generally, weight loss drugs are excluded under Medicare Part D because they are not completely necessary to day-to-day functioning.  These drugs could help you lose weight which may indirectly cause happiness to be more attainable, but they are not completely necessary.  Weight loss can generally be attained through other means, though it may not be as quick and painless.

Erectile dysfunction drugs are also not usually covered under Medicare Part D because everyone can agree they don’t sustain your life.  They can improve your enjoyment of life and may give you something to look forward to, but that is not what health insurance is about.  There are a few other excluded drugs under Part D, including benzodiazepines and barbiturates, but none are as discussed as these two.

• The first 60 days you will not have to pay coinsurance for as this period is handled differently.  You will have to meet a $1,100 deductible and that is just for the initial 60 day period.
• For days 61-90 in the hospital you will be required by Medicare Part A to pay a whopping $275 per day.  This is something you will want to discuss with your doctor before the bill arrives for you.
• After day 90 this amount doubles and you will be expected to pay an unbelievable $550 per day to keep your hospital stay.  This is an exorbitant amount that will likely affect your life in profound ways.
• After your “Lifetime Reserve Days” (60 days you get to use that Medicare will pay for in your lifetime) you will be expected to foot the entire hospital bill without any help.

However, this is somewhat of a trick question as Medicare Part D drug coverage does not have a limit on how much is covered for one plan year.  That being said, each different plan will cover a different set of drugs and will not pay for any drugs that are not listed.  Only your doctor can issue a request for a drug to be covered that is not on this list, an “exception” to the list that is provided to you.

The FDA must have approved these drugs and they can be either brand-name or prescription drugs for what you need.  This is good for you as you will not have to worry about what the pharmacy has to offer.  Medicare Part D is designed to make sure that you have the drugs you need to live a good life, but don’t expect it all to come to you for free.

The at-home recovery benefit that has been a part of Medicare Plans D and G will be eliminated as a part of this new amendment.  If you get Medicare Plan G your coverage will increase from 80% to 100%, but if you already have Plan G your coverage will not change.  A hospice benefit will be a part of all new plans starting in June and could make your Medicare supplement insurance much stronger.

If you have any questions about the changes to Medicare supplement insurance in June 2010 then contact your Medicare supplement insurance provider.  Be sure to follow up with questions about your rates as this could change the rates that you have been charged in the past.  Medicare supplement insurance will continue to change as the Federal government continues to try to find ways to help consumers pay for healthcare costs.

Here are a few of the common preventive services covered by Medicare Part A:

Cardiovascular screenings are covered as a preventive service by Medicare Part A.  This will help with your general good health by requiring your doctor or hospital to assess your body’s general health.

Diabetes screenings are covered as a preventive service by Medicare Part A.  This is a service that doesn’t generally help society by stopping a possible communicable disease, but it does help detect a very common personal health issue.

Flu shots are covered as a preventive service by Medicare Part A.  The flu causes a scare almost every year as it has caused such damage to the world as a whole in the past.  You can do your best to protect yourself by getting a flu shot covered by Medicare Part A.

Glaucoma tests are covered also as a preventive service by Medicare Part A.  As this is a common issue among Medicare patients it is covered.

Here is what Medicare wants you to know about the Medicare Part B Cost of Living Adjustment in 2010:  “In 2010, social security benefits won’t have cost of living adjustments. This is due to the decline in consumer prices and the expected low inflation.”

This leads to the following information as to how Medicare Part B will be assessed in 2010.  This is straight from the horse’s mouth in relation to Medicare Part B:

“Most Medicare beneficiaries will continue to pay the same $96.40 Part B premium amount in 2010. Beneficiaries who currently have the Social Security Administration (SSA) withhold their Part B premium and have incomes of $85,000 or less ($170,000 or less for joint filers) will not have an increase in their Part B premium for 2010.

For all others, the standard Medicare Part B monthly premium will be $110.50 in 2010, which is a 15% increase over the 2009 premium. The Medicare Part B premium is increasing in 2010 due to possible increases in Part B costs.  If your income is above $85,000 (single) or $170,000 (married couple), then your Medicare Part B premium may be higher than $110.50 per month.”

Here are the individuals that qualify for automatic enrollment into Medicare Part A:

1. If you get Social Security or the Railroad Retirement Board benefits then you automatically qualify for Medicare Part A the first day after you turn 65.  Those who are disabled and get Social Security or Railroad Retirement Board benefits will get some or all benefits on the 25^th month of the disability.
2. If you have ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also called Lou Gehrig’s disease), you automatically get Part A the month your disability benefits begin. 

Those who do not qualify in the above categories do not automatically qualify for Medicare Part A but there is still hope for getting the coverage.  All you have to do to get Medicare Part A is sign up for the coverage, you may still even qualify to get the coverage premium free.

Many of these people don’t realize that they are eligible for help through a new Medicare Part D coverage known as “extra help”.  With this coverage Medicare is starting to change its opinion of what is income and resources and what is not.  After doing so you could be eligible to get more coverage.  It is assumed that this could help with up to around $3,900 per year in savings.

If you are a citizen of one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia you have passed the first test of being eligible.  If your resources are less than or equal to $12,510 for an individual or $25,010 for a married couple living together then you have passed the next portion of qualifications.  Resources are bank accounts, stocks and bonds and the like.  Resources are not things like your home and car.

Finally, your annual income must be less than or equal to $16,245 for an individual or $21,855 for a married couple living together.  Even if you earn more than this but support other family members, have earnings from work or live in Alaska or Hawaii you could still be eligible for support.