메디케어란 무엇이며 수혜자는 누구인가? > 사회보장 최대혜택

In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson instituted the Medicare insurance program. It is specifically designed to benefit senior citizens, but there are other groups who also benefit from the health coverage Medicare offers.

 

To fund the Medicare program, everyone who is employed pays 1.45 percent of their earnings via a payroll deduction. Employers pay a matching 1.45 percent for each person they employ. Small business owners and those who are self employed must pay the entire 2.9 percent on their earnings. Yet a speech (a link is provided in the Resources section) offered at the National Academy of Social Insurance in 2008 calls into question the workability of this funding model, as healthcare costs are rapidly increasing.

 

 

Applying for Medicare requires you to be 65 years of age or older; if you are not yet in this age group, you may qualify if you receive social security and are disabled. It is important to understand that even though the Medicare system is paid into by workers and employers, it does not offer entirely free healthcare to seniors and those who qualify on other merits. They are still liable for deductibles, monthly insurance premiums and payments for services and drugs that are not covered by the program.

 

 

Medicare is divided into four parts. Part A provides hospital coverage that also includes convalescent home care; Part B is the medical insurance portion which permits doctors' visits and generally acts like a health insurance policy; Part C is newer and replaces Parts A and B for those who opt to receive their Medicare coverage through a health insurance plan; Part D is the prescription drug plan that covers certain drugs. The Medicare website (see Resources) defines the various parts of the program in detail.