Have a listen to learn:

• What Medicare Part A is 
• The three different groups that qualify for Medicare Part A
• What Medicare Part A covers and what it doesn’t cover
• How much Medicare Part A costs
• How Medicare doesn’t have any networks or referrals for any physicians or medical facilities and what that means for Medicare patients
• How Medicare Part A covers 60 days of hospitalization and what happens on day 61 and beyond
• What happens when you keep working after age 65 and the associated insurance implications
• The options individuals who don’t qualify for Medicare still have
• The services BenchMark Physical Therapy offers for Medicare patients
• The most common kinds of ailments BenchMark sees in Medicare patients
• The kinds of clients Parkwest Physical Therapy sees each day
• Tips for how seniors can succeed with physical therapy activities
• What “wrinkles on the inside” means
• How recovery care is the favorite product that Nick offers and why
• And more!

Quotes

“If an individual has worked 40 quarters or 10 years and paid into Medicare, traditionally via payroll taxes, then they will automatically qualify for Part A. They will receive Medicare Part A on the first day of the month of their 65th birthday with one exception: if their birthday is the first day of the month, they get it the month prior.” — Nick

“In a nutshell, Part A of Medicare is hospitalization insurance for individuals on Medicare.” —Nick

“Keep in mind that Medicare is a nationwide program. So, Medicare beneficiaries, whether from California, North Carolina, Michigan, to Florida all have the same program.” —Nick

“As we get older, our system just doesn't do what we tell it to do. Our brains try to tell our body what to do, and it doesn’t react the way it did when we were in our teens.” —Matt

“Physical therapy is a commitment. It's a time commitment. It's a financial commitment. It’s a lifestyle commitment.” —Matt

“I think the biggest hurdle for a lot of people is that it's so new. You're doing things that you've never done before. Everybody's gotten their routine, and some of the older population, they've been in that routine for 50, 60, 70 years. And so, turning things in a different direction is a little bit more challenging.” —Matt

“You always want to wear loose clothing because you're going to be doing things physical.” —Kaitlin

“Statistics say the average cost in a nursing facility of some sort is $72,000 per year. I would say there's a good chunk of people out there, especially in the market we deal in, that if you're retired, that $72,000 is probably pretty tough to come up with.” —Zach

Links

• BenchMark Physical Therapy: 
• Parkwest Physical Therapy
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
• Senior Benefit Inc.

Transcript

Announcer: Welcome to our fireside chat with Seniors Living Healthy, the podcast that helps prepare and educate you as you enter and live out your golden years. With over 10 years of experience, Nick and Zach are experts in the senior market and are here to help you live a healthy, full life. And now fireside with your hosts Nick Keene and Zach Haire.

Zach: Hello, and welcome to episode one of our inaugural season of Seniors Living Healthy. I'm your host, Zach, and here with me is our co-host, Nick.

Nick: Hello, folks.

Zach: This month's episode, we will go over Part A of Medicare, which is hospitalization. So, as I'm sure you've guessed, this episode’s ABC of Medicare is going to be Part A, hospitalization. Most people are going to get that the month they turn 65 with a few exceptions, so we're going to jump right in. And Nick, why don't you tell us how an individual gets that once they turn 65.

Nick: So, if an individual has worked 40 quarters or 10 years and paid into Medicare, traditionally via payroll taxes, then they will automatically qualify for Part A. They will receive Medicare Part A on the first day of the month of their 65th birthday with one exception: if their birthday is the first day of the month, they get it the month prior.

Zach: Thanks, Nick. So, with that one exception, is there any other kinds of exceptions out there to Part A, how somebody can receive it, and when they can receive it?

Nick: Absolutely, Zach, great question. So, if an individual doesn't qualify themselves for Medicare at age 65, they can qualify off a spouse, whether alive or deceased. Also, if an individual is under 65, but has been on disability, and received benefits for 24 months straight, they can also receive benefits, and then the third situation would be if individuals have been diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease or ESRD, or Lou Gehrig's disease, they can also qualify for Medicare.

Zach: Thanks, Nick. So, now we know how someone gets Part A; when they get it, how they can get it, what's it going to cover for them out there, once they receive it?

Nick: So, Medicare Part A is listed as covering semi-private room and board, general nursing and miscellaneous services and supplies. So, in a nutshell, what Part A of Medicare is, is hospitalization insurance for individuals on Medicare. So, the way Medicare Part A works is it is designed based on a benefit period of 60 days, and when one is admitted to the hospital, they have a Part A deductible that they are responsible for, which is $1408 each 60-day benefit period.

Zach: Now, is that deductible going to change depending on where they go to the hospital? You know, if they're out of town, they go to the hospital, is it going to be different? Are they going to have—how does that work for him?

Nick: Yeah, so great question. Keep in mind, Zach, that Medicare is a nationwide program. So, Medicare beneficiaries, whether from California, North Carolina, Michigan, to Florida all have the same program. So, as long as they qualify for Medicare and it's in place, there are no networks or referrals for any physicians or medical facilities.

Zach: Perfect that makes it nice being able to go wherever you need to go to get the [crosstalk] you need.

Nick: Absolutely. Absolutely.

Zach: So, in that 60-day period of care, when that 60 days up, does it start over again? How does that work? Break that down a little bit more for us.

Nick: Yeah. So, the way the benefit period works, Zach, is the 60-day benefit period starts when an individual is first admitted, and continues as long as someone is receiving services, whether in the hospital and/or medical facility: things like skilled facility care. So, when they're admitted originally, they pay a $1408 deductible that covers them whether they stay in the hospital for continuous 60 days, maybe they leave...