What Medicare Does Not Cover

Beware of the areas of your health that Medicare does not cover- and there are plenty of things you will have to supplement. For example, it does not cover routine dental or eye care, so don’t rely on the program for hearing aids or dentures.

It also won’t cover long-term care, so if you’ll need custodial care that involves help with daily living and activities you need to cover these costs with other savings, Medicaid, or long-term-care insurance.

However, the program will kick in after a hospitalization to treat an acute-care episode. So there are certain distinctions you will need to read up on to ensure that your particular health situation will be covered.

You Have the Right to Appeal a Medicare Decision

Do you disagree with a payment decision made by Medicare? What about coverage? In that case, you have the right to file an appeal, something not a lot of seniors are aware of.

The process has five levels, meaning that if you get denied once you can still escalate to the next level, so not all hope is lost. Just be prepared with as much information from your health care provider and doctor before you begin the process.

In some cases, seniors might feel like their health will be put in jeopardy if the program takes too long to reach a decision. In that case, you can ask for a faster decision to be made. If Medicare and your doctor agree then the plan must provide a response within 72 hours.