Medicare and Medicare Insurance - A Guide to Children Helping Their Parents

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Medicare & Medicare Insurance - A Guide to Children Helping Their Parents

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More and more, children are being asked to step in and assist in giving care to their aging parents. With the dawn of the Baby Boomers turning 65 in 2010, this phenomenon should only increase. There can be confusing and overwhelming things involved with this, not the least of these is assisting your parents with their health insurance.

The unfortunate reality is that most seniors, those on Medicare, do not understand exactly what Medicare is or how it works, so their children, in many cases, are even more confused. Insurance can be a complicated thing for many people. With that in mind, it is important that, as children of aging parents, you take it upon yourself to be educated about the ins and outs of Medicare and Medicare insurance, at the least on a surface level, so that you can look after your parents' best interests.

Considering this, here is a list of important things to keep in mind about senior health insurance as a caregiver or someone assisting your parents with this topic:

First and foremost, your parents, if they are over age 65 and have worked for 10 years or more in the U.S., they should be receiving Medicare.
There are several parts of Medicare - named after letters (A-D). "Original Medicare", which is the most important part (doctor/hospital coverage) is A and B.
Part C is optional - it is also called Medicare Advantage and it takes the place of Medicare A B if you elect to enroll. While this can be appealing to seniors (low premiums and covers some things Medicare doesn't), there can be many problems associated with these plans, including doctors not accepting them, having trouble getting "original Medicare" back and just a general problem getting the plans to pay in a timely manner.
Medicare Part D is the part of Medicare that covers prescription drugs and if you are parents are on any, or many, drugs, it is essential that they have one of these plans to prevent them from ever-rising drug costs.
Medicare Supplements are plans that are offered through private companies. They pay the things that Medicare doesn't cover, they fill in the "gaps" in Medicare. Many seniors get these plans and they allow those on a fixed income to have a better idea of the health care line item in their budget.
You may want to consider getting a health care power of attorney if your parents are not able to make the decisions on their own about their health insurance. This will allow you to sort through the "junk" that is often thrown at seniors (mail, phone calls, etc.).
Lastly, health insurance for seniors is a complicated thing. Take your time. If it sounds to good to be true, verify then verify again, it may just not be true.

Secure Medicare Solutions is a leading, independent brokerage that covers the states of South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee. We are a brokerage, and we work with all of the prevalent companies in these states to ensure that you get the best coverage for the best available rate. You can get more information about supplement plans at South Carolina Medicare Supplements Insurance and plans, and you can get quotes for all of the companies emailed directly to you by going to SC Medigap Quotes.