Based on projections in the 2018 Medicare Trustees report,
Medicare Part A funding will be depleted by 2026.
If you currently have only
Medicare Part A, you can enroll in Part B during the enrollment period, which runs from January 1 to March 31 every year.
That said, I think it is important to note that most government programs are funded through general revenues, so allowing general revenues to finance some of social security or
Medicare part A is clearly an idea that would not necessarily eliminate all fiscal responsibility.
Its three parts are: (1)
Medicare Part A, which pays for hospital costs, (2) Medicare Part B, which covers outpatient costs, and (3) the new Medicare Part C (Medicare Plus Choice), which expands the types of health entities that beneficiaries can use to receive their care.
Such individuals receive inpatient hospital, skilled nursing facility, home health, and other services under
Medicare Part A, while Medicare Part B covers physician and certain other outpatient services.
A slightly more sophisticated criticism of the plan is that it would worsen Medicare's financial problems through "adverse selection." Unlike Social Security or
Medicare Part A, the president's buy-in program would be voluntary, which means a disproportionate number of the people flocking to sign up for it would be those having trouble finding alternative coverage at a reasonable price -- i.e., those who present the worst health risk and thus bear the highest price-tag for coverage.
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Medicare Part A (hospital insurance) helps pay for inpatient care in a hospital or skilled nursing facility (following a hospital stay).