Medicare Part B, one part of Original Medicare, provides medical insurance coverage. It covers many different services such as doctor visits and outpatient medical care.
3 things to know about Medicare Part B:
It is medical insurance that provides coverage for medically necessary services and preventative services.
You have to pay a monthly premium for it. The standard monthly premium is $174.70 in 2024, but you may pay more or less than that.
Coverage for medical services and supplies comes with deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance.
Medicare Part B provides medical insurance coverage. It covers many different services such as doctor visits and medical services.
Part B is optional. If you are automatically enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B, you can opt out of Medicare Part B. When you receive your Medicare card in the mail, just follow the instructions that come attached and send the card back. If you do not follow these instructions, you will be enrolled in Part B and must pay the Part B premiums.
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Part B is considered medical insurance. Part B covers a wide variety of medical services, including the following:
Initial "Welcome to Medicare" exam
Yearly wellness exam
Doctor services
Ambulance services
Chemotherapy
Diagnostic tests and screenings
Certain pap smear and mammography screenings
Pneumonia and flu vaccinations
Durable medical equipment
Costs
Your Part B costs will come in the forms of premiums, deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance.
Part B premiums
PartB comes with a monthly premium. Many people pay the standard premium amount of $174.70 per month in 2024.
You may pay higher or lower premiums than the standard premium based on how you pay your premium or your yearly income.
Part B deductibles, copayments and coinsurance
Part B also comes with a $240 annual deductible in 2024. Part B will not cover anything until you pay that amount each year that you use the coverage.
In addition to the annual deductible, you must pay for a portion of the services covered by Part B. Usually, you must pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for a service. Part B covers the other 80%.
So if your doctor charges Medicare $100 for a service covered by Part B, you could have to pay $20. Part B will pay for the remaining $80.
Christian Worstell is a senior Medicare and health insurance writer with MedicareAdvantage.com. He is also a licensed health insurance agent. Christian is well-known in the insurance industry for the thousands of educational articles he’s written, helping Americans better understand their health insurance and Medicare coverage.
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Christian Worstell is a senior Medicare and health insurance writer with MedicareAdvantage.com. He is also a licensed health insurance agent. Christian is well-known in the insurance industry for the thousands of educational articles he’s written, helping Americans better understand their health insurance and Medicare coverage.
Christian’s work as a Medicare expert has appeared in several top-tier and trade news outlets including Forbes, MarketWatch, WebMD and Yahoo! Finance.
Christian has written hundreds of articles for MedicareAvantage.com that teach Medicare beneficiaries the best practices for navigating Medicare. His articles are read by thousands of older Americans each month. By better understanding their health care coverage, readers may hopefully learn how to limit their out-of-pocket Medicare spending and access quality medical care.
Christian’s passion for his role stems from his desire to make a difference in the senior community. He strongly believes that the more beneficiaries know about their Medicare coverage, the better their overall health and wellness is as a result.
A current resident of Raleigh, Christian is a graduate of Shippensburg University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
If you’re a member of the media looking to connect with Christian, please don’t hesitate to email our public relations team at Mike@tzhealthmedia.com.
Original Medicare (Parts A and B) doesn’t cover routine dental or vision care. 2024 Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans can cover benefits Original Medicare doesn’t cover, but dental and/or hearing benefits may not be available where you live. Learn more and find out how to compare the plans and benefits available in your area.
Medicare Part B may cover emergency ambulance services, and some Medicare Advantage plans may offer non-emergency transportation to plan-approved locations. Learn more about Medicare transportation coverage.
Medicare Advantage plans can offer gym memberships and fitness benefits that Original Medicare doesn’t cover, such as SilverSneakers. Learn how to compare your local plan options and how to find a Medicare Advantage plan that covers fitness benefits.
While Original Medicare (Parts A and B) doesn’t cover hearing aids, Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans can cover hearing benefits Original Medicare doesn’t cover. Hearing benefits may be available where you live, so learn how to find out if Medicare Advantage plans that help pay for hearing aids are available in your area.
Medicare Part B covers annual wellness visits. Medicare Advantage plans also cover annual wellness visits, and many Medicare Advantage plans also offer other wellness benefits not found in Original Medicare.
Medicare Part A does not cover outpatient surgery, but Part B covers medically necessary outpatient surgery. Medicare Advantage plans may also cover outpatient surgery and include an annual out-of-pocket spending limit, which Original Medicare doesn’t offer.
Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans can cover chiropractic care, but some plans may cover services more than others. Learn about what’s covered, what’s excluded and how much your Medicare costs could be.
Medicare covers many telehealth services, and those benefits expanded during the coronavirus pandemic. Beneficiaries can use telehealth to access their doctor while also staying safe during COVID-19.
Original Medicare (Medicare Parts A and B) doesn’t cover bathroom grab bars or other bathroom safety devices. Medicare Advantage plans can cover bathroom safety devices, but only in limited situations and only for beneficiaries who qualify.
Original Medicare covers some limited home health services. Medicare Advantage plans cover the same home health care services and may include some additional benefits.
Join our email series to receive your Medicare guide and the latest information about Medicare.
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Your Medicare guide will arrive in your email inbox shortly. You can also look forward to informative email updates about Medicare and Medicare Advantage.
If you'd like to speak with an agent right away, we're standing by for that as well. Give us a call!