NC Medicare Part B
NC Medicare Part B is also referred to as Medical Insurance. You should contact social security 3 months prior to your 65th birthday to make sure you are enrolled in this coverage. For most seniors new to Medicare, you will have a monthly premium in 2016 of $121.80/month for Part B coverage. If your annual income is above $85,000/year you will pay a higher rate. Most enrollees elect to have this premium taken directly from their social security check.
What does NC Medicare Part B cover?
In 2016 there is an annual Part B deductible of $166. Once this deductible is met then you would typically pay 20% of Medicare approved amount for that particular service. It is important to note that their is no Stop-Loss on the amount that you owe. This means that if the Medicare approved amount for a procedure covered under Part B is $100,000 and all you have is Medicare Part A and B you would be responsible for $20,000 of this claim. This is why we HIGHLY recommend that you enroll in Medicare Supplemental Insurance North Carolina.
With that said, lets take a look at some of the covered services (information below was taken directly from Medicare & You 2016 Handbook):
| Abdominal Aoritc Aneurysm Screening | Alcohol Misuse Counceling | Ambulance Services |
| Ambualatory Surgical Centers | Blood | Bone Mass Measurement |
| Breast Cancer Screening (Mammograms) | Cardiac Rehabilitation | Cardiovascular Screenings |
| Cervical and Vaginal Cancer Screenings | Chemotherapy | Chiropractic Services (limited) |
| Clinical Research Studies | Colorectal Cancer Screenings | Defibrillator |
| Depression Screening | Diabetes Screenings | Diabetes Self-Management Training |
| Diabetes Supplies | Doctor and Other Health Care Services | Durable Medical Equipment |
| Electrocardiogram (EKG) Screening | ER Services | Eyeglasses (limited) |
| Federally Qualified Health Center Services | Flu Shots | Foot Exams and Treatment |
| Glaucoma Tests | Hearing and Balance Exams | Hepatitis B Shots |
| HIV Screening | Home Health Services | Kidney Dialysis Services and Supplies |
| Kidney Disease Education Services | Laboratory Services | Medical Nutrition Therepay Services |
| Mental Health Care (outpatient) | Obesity Screening and Counceling | Occupational Therapy |
| Outpatient Hospital Services | Outpatient Medical and Surgical Services | Physical Therapy |
| Pneumococcal Shot | Prescription Drugs (limited) | Prostate Cancer Screenings |
| Prosthetic/Orthotic Items | Pulmonary Rehabilitation | Rural Health Clinic Services |
| Second Surgical Opinions | Speech-Language Pathology Services | Surgical Dressing Services |
| Tobacco Cessation Counceling | Telehealth | Tests (diagnostic like x-ray, CT, MRI) |
| Transplants and Immunosuppressive Drugs | Travel (limited, when traveling outside US) | Urgently-Needed Care |
| Preventive Visit (Welcome to Medicare) | Yearly Wellness Visit |
As you can see, NC Medicare Part B offers a lot of coverage that you do not want to be without. For mor indpeth anaylsis of each of these coverage items please refer to Medicare & You booklet pages 36-53.
