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Attend an in-person or virtual Medicare 101 class and learn everything you need to know.
Medicare offers coverage for emergency room visits, but your cost-sharing responsibility will depend on your admission status, recommended treatment, and what kind of Medicare plan you’re enrolled in. Today, we’ll review a few situations to prepare you for emergency room copays better.
Original Medicare consists of Part A and Part B. Part A serves as your hospital or inpatient insurance, while Part B is your medical or outpatient insurance. The coverage you have during an emergency room visit will depend on how you’re admitted.
If you walk into the emergency department or are transported by ambulance, you’re considered an outpatient, at least at first. You may even stay overnight at the hospital and still be considered an outpatient in some cases. If you have an outpatient status, your coverage falls under Medicare Part B.
Part B has two costs associated with it: a deductible and coinsurance. Currently (2022), the Part B deductible is $233 per year. This will be your first emergency room visit unless you’ve already paid for it for the year. Once you meet that deductible, you’ll pay about 20% in coinsurance amounts. You may be charged for the visit, x-rays, or lab tests. All these falls under Medicare Part B. Generally, the sum of these charges won’t exceed the Part A deductible, which is $1,556 this year.
You only become an inpatient when a doctor writes an order and formally admits you to the hospital. In most cases, this occurs when the doctor believes you’ll need at least two nights of hospital care. If you’re admitted as an inpatient, that’s when Medicare Part A kicks in.
Part A also has two different costs. As we mentioned, the current deductible is $1,556. Unlike Part B, this is not an annual deductible but applies to every benefit period. A benefit period begins on the first day of your inpatient admission and ends when you’ve been hospital-free for 60 consecutive days. After you’ve met your deductible, your coinsurance amount will depend on how many days you’ve been in the hospital. Medicare entirely covers the first 60 days.
If your admission status gets changed from outpatient to inpatient, you will not be responsible for the charges related to the emergency room visit. In addition, your admission must be at the same hospital where you received emergency room care. If you’re admitted to a different hospital within three days of your ER visit, it will be considered a separate event, and all charges will apply.
Most Medicare beneficiaries choose to supplement their coverage under Original Medicare. One of the ways they might choose to do so is with a Medigap plan, also known as a Medicare Supplement plan.
If you have a Medigap plan, Original Medicare is still your primary insurance. Once Parts A and B have paid, the claim gets sent to your Medigap plan. Medigap plans will pick up some or all of the remaining costs (all the deductibles and cost-sharing), depending on which Medigap plan you have. For example, Plan G will pay for all remaining costs except the Part B deductible. Plan N, on the other hand, will leave you with the Part B deductible and a copayment of up to $50 if you don’t become an inpatient during your ER visit.
Medicare Advantage plans, also known as Medicare Part C, work differently. Instead of acting as your secondary insurance plan as Medigap plans, they are an alternative to Original Medicare. Your medical claims will go directly to the private insurance company that provides your Part C plan.
Medicare Advantage plans are different, but they all include emergency room coverage. MA plans work best when using a contracted doctor or hospital, but they all provide coverage in emergencies, regardless of which hospital you go to (within the United States). Your copayment, however, will depend on your specific plan.
For example, a plan may have a flat copayment for an emergency room visit. Or, it may have an emergency room copay and a coinsurance amount for services. You’ll need to review your plan’s evidence of coverage to find out what you’ll be responsible for if you visit an emergency room.
Check here for Medicare Plan Comparison 2023.
Justin Brock is the CEO and President of Bobby Brock Insurance. A nationally syndicated Medicare advisor, best-selling author of Medicare Breakdown: The Alphabet Soup of Medicare, and pacesetter for over 20,000 senior market insurance agents, Justin has been featured in many insurance-related publications for his Medicare and health insurance industry expertise. Justin is the Vice President of one of the most active chapters of the National Association of Health Underwriters. He is a contributing member of the Forbes Expert Council on health insurance and Medicare and serves as an advisory board member for Manhattan Life Insurance Company and Aetna Life and Health Insurance Company. Justin’s experience in Medicare and intimate involvement with tens of thousands of its beneficiaries has become one of the most sought-after advocates for senior citizens and their healthcare rights.
Medicare Teachers Inc. is not connected with nor endorsed by the United States government or the federal Medicare program. Medicare has neither reviewed nor endorsed this information. We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Currently, we represent 9 organizations which offer 57 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options.
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