The Difficulties of Affording Healthcare With Rising Costs
Healthcare is expensive! If you are not fortunate enough to have a job with health insurance provided, then you know that you have a large extra expense waiting for you every month. Insurance, expensive as it seems, is nothing compared to the bills you might see if you need to make an emergency trip to the hospital. You have to pay for the ambulance fee, the hospital bed and medical equipment usage, and all the care you received while in the health care center. Depending on the health problem, treatments, and length of the hospital stay, the bill can be over $50,000. That is why insurance is so important! You never know when you will need the extra care.
Regular check-ups and routine exams are more common medical costs. However, these expenses only increase as you grow older because you have a greater chance for illness or injury. Seniors who have already retired from their jobs, however, do have a program in place that helps them pay for these expenses. Medicare is the United State’s program that provides health care for individuals age 65 years old and over. It is also available for individuals who fulfill special criteria no matter what age they are, such as those with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS- Lou Gehrig’s disease). President Lyndon B. Johnson signed this program into law on July 30, 1965. It has since provided health insurance for millions of Americans.
Medicare provides funding for a long list of medical equipment. Which items this program is obligated to pay for is listed in Title XVII of the Social Security Act and the term given to describe these items is durable medical equipment. These items include everything from wheelchairs, hospital beds, iron lungs, and oxygen tents. It also provides funding for those with diabetes and pays for items such as blood testing strips and blood glucose.
If you are interested in finding out more about Medicare, ask your health care professional or search related websites online. If you are already receiving Medicare and want to know if the medical supplies you pay for are considered durable medical equipment and therefore are covered expenses, check as soon as you can! You might be able to save much more money!
Jane Worthington
http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/the-difficulties-of-affording-healthcare-with-rising-costs-736134.html
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