subject: Medicare Part B And Its Eligibility [print this page] Medicare Part B eligibility is not difficult to figure out - all those who have eligibility for Part A are also entitled to Part B; all you have to do is bear the excess expense by paying a monthly insurance premium. This particular amount could be drawn from your retirement benefits or the Social Security amount you will get.
If you have Part A: All people residing in the USA who're eligible for Medicare Part A without any premium are also entitled to Part B as well. Then again, Medicare Part B eligibility doesn't really extend to the people residing in Puerto Rico. You need to understand an essential point here, Medicare coverage under Part B isn't compulsory. This is usually a voluntary plan, and to receive coverage within this, you have to pay a monthly premium contrary to the Part A coverage that comes free of cost.
For those who do not have Part A: Even persons who don't have Part A coverage can certainly decide on Medicare Part B as long as they satisfy a few Medicare eligibility requirements. For one, they should be citizens of the United States. 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.
