Are You Eligible For Medicare Part B?

Medicare Part B eligibility is easy to understand – individuals who have eligibility for Part A are also eligible for Part B; all you need to do is pay for an added expense by paying a monthly insurance premium. This amount might be drawn from your retirement benefits or the Social Security amount you receive.

If you’ve got Part A: All persons living in America who’re qualified for Medicare Part A with no premium are also entitled to Part B as well. Having said that, Medicare Part B eligibility doesn’t extend to people residing in Puerto Rico. You need to understand a crucial thing here, Medicare coverage within Part B is not mandatory. This is usually a voluntary program, and in order to get coverage under this, you need to pay a regular monthly premium as opposed to the Part A coverage that comes absolutely free.

When you don’t have Part A: Even persons who don’t have Part A coverage can select Medicare Part B provided they fulfill a few Medicare eligibility requirements. For starters, they should be citizens of America. Even non-citizens are eligible, provided they have been admitted following all the specified legal requirements and have resided in the US for five years or more. Secondly, people who are aged 65 years and above are eligible for Medicare Part B. Even if you do not have Part A, you can qualify for the Part B by filling out the necessary paperwork and remitting the monthly premium specified by the insurance provider.

Why Choose Part B?

Medicare Part A provides medicare coverage for hospitalization expenses. However, there can be many circumstances when you may require additional care at home or at a health care facility or a hospital on an outpatient basis. Say you have a minor accident that causes you a sprain – you may not need to be hospitalized, but you may require an X-ray to rule out a fracture, a visit to the physician to obtain a prescription for painkiller medication, or physical therapy for a few days to deal with the pain and inflammation. In such cases, having Medicare Part B is crucial if you wish to keep your health care expenses low.

If you have overlooked the fact that you have Medicare Part B eligibility and not chosen this plan in the beginning, you can still enroll for it. All you need is to fill out the prescribed Medicare application and provide the necessary documentation along with the monthly premium amount. Of course, you need to pay a slightly higher amount as this premium when you enroll late and not in the initial stage.