The Official U.S. Government Site for Medicare is Medicare.gov

In Summary:

Medicare.gov is the official website for the U.S. government’s  Medicare program. Medicare.gov is a great resource for those who are receiving Medicare benefits and also those who may be caring for folks who are receiving Medicare benefits.

On the Medicare.gov website, you may find information about:

• Medicare costs
• Medicare coverage
• Prescription drug coverage (Medicare Part D)
• How to sign up or change plans
• Supplemental coverage
• Many other topics related to Medicare
• Medicare.gov also offers help and support.

Additionally, Medicare.com has a number of tools that help you compare physicians, nursing homes, and home health agencies. You can also search for and compare Dialysis facilities and suppliers of Medicare-covered durable medical equipment.

What can you do on and how to use the Medicare.gov website.

Medicare.gov is the official website for the U.S. government’s Medicare program. Medicare.gov provides official benefit information regarding Medicare, including the different coverage options, costs, preventative services, and essential tools for Medicare beneficiaries.

The Medicare.gov website is managed by the same federal agency that administers the Medicare program, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

How to use Medicare.gov

Medicare.gov is the premier resource for people who receive Medicare benefits as well as the family and friends who are caring for their loved ones on Medicare. Additionally, Medicare.gov offers information regarding the following topics:

Sign Up or Change Medicare Plans: You may earn about the different Medicare coverage options, find out how to enroll, and search for doctors and health providers.

Your Medicare Costs: You can view detailed information on costs for Medicare Part A and Part B, Medicare Advantage plans, and Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan coverage.

What Medicare Covers: You can find out what benefits and services are covered by Medicare.
Prescription Drug Coverage (Medicare Part D): You may learn the different ways you can get prescription drug coverage, how Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans work with other insurance, and what costs you can expect.

Supplemental Insurance: You can study about supplemental coverage options like Medigap and compare different policies.

Claims & Appeals: You can educate yourself on how to file a claim or appeal and your rights as a Medicare beneficiary.

Manage Your Health: You may discover information on preventive services and personal health records.
Help and Support: Get the tools for evaluating Medicare Advantage health plans and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans, nursing homes, doctors, and hospitals. Find a trove of beneficiary and caregiver resources, including listings of useful phone numbers and websites.

Medicare.gov has a plethora of tools to help Medicare beneficiaries find the health professionals and the services they might need. These tools make it simple to compare different health care providers side-by-side. Some of the tools you may locate on the site include:

Medicare.gov tools

The Physician Compare tool: The Medicare.gov Physician Compare tool allows you to search for doctors and other health care professionals by zip code, last name, or their medical specialty. You can also search by group practice and filter the results to only display doctors who willing to accept Medicare assignment.

The Nursing Home Compare: The Nursing Home Compare tool provides information on Medicare and Medicaid-certified nursing homes across the U.S. This tool rates each nursing home based on how well it meets the resident’s needs, the staffing levels, their health inspection results, and the overall quality. You may search for nursing homes based on several criteria including; name, star rating, proximity to a hospital or continuing care community, and/or whether they accept Medicare or Medicaid. Medicare Part A may cover skilled nursing care in certain circumstances.

The Home Health Compare: The Medicare.gov Home Health Compare tool lets you search for home health agencies. Medicare A and Medicare B cover some limited home health services if your doctor determines they are necessary and prescribes it for your treatment. The Home Health Compare tool filters the results for you based on zip code and the specific services provided by the home health agencies, including nursing care, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, medical social services, and home health aide services.

The Dialysis Facility Compare: For folks that require dialysis, the Medicare.gov website offers a Dialysis Facility Compare tool to help users find and compare local providers. Dialysis facilities can be filtered based on whether they can offer in-center hemodialysis and/or peritoneal dialysis, the number of dialysis stations, and whether they offer home hemodialysis training. For those patients who work during the day and need to receive dialysis treatments during off-hours, the tool also shows which dialysis facilities have shifts available after 5:00 PM.

The Supplier Directory Search: Medicare.gov also has a tool that lets you search for suppliers of Medicare-covered durable medical equipment (DME), prosthetic devices, orthotics, and other medical supplies. If you live within a competitive bidding area, you will need to purchase equipment and supplies from a Medicare contracted supplier in order to receive coverage.

The Medicare Plan Finder: Medicare’s Plan Finder tool lets you find plans and compare costs for Original Medicare, as well as private Medicare plans like Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans. You can enter customized information such as your zip code, nearest pharmacy, and the prescriptions you take every year in order to get the most accurate cost estimates for drugs, deductibles, co-payments, and coinsurance costs.

Registering on MyMedicare.gov

MyMedicare.gov is the online portal that is part of the Medicare.gov website. It will allow you to view the personalized details regarding your Medicare coverage, including your eligibility and enrollment information, the status of Medicare claims, and benefits information. You can also use your account to submit Initial Enrollment Questionnaires, requests for additional Medicare Summary Notices (MSNs), and look up information on your health providers.

Setting up an account is free, secure, and allows you to more quickly access your Medicare information online when it is processed. You will have to provide your Medicare number in order to create an account.

Finding information on Medicare.gov

Medicare.gov is a valuable online resource for Medicare beneficiaries. If you are trying to find an answer for a specific question, there are a couple of ways you can search the site:

The Search box: Medicare.gov allows you to search the Medicare.gov site for any pages related to a specific word or phrase. To search the Medicare.gov site, you can enter your search topic into the box next to the Search button near the top of the page. After inputting your search query, click the Search button to search the complete Medicare.gov website, at which point the search results will show a list of Medicare.gov pages related to that query.

The Frequently Asked Questions: You possibly might find the answer to your question on the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page. This page contains some of the common questions and answers regarding the Medicare program and how to use the Medicare.gov website specifically.

The Publications: Medicare also has many online educational publications for various topics, including prescription drug coverage, hospice benefits, and Medigap plans. “Medicare and You” is an online publication released annually that provides a good general overview of the Medicare program. If you are unfamiliar with Medicare and would like more information on how it works and what is covered, this online handbook is a good place to start.

ashfordinsurancegroup.com is not affiliated with Social Security.gov or SSA.gov. SocialSecurity.gov and SSA.gov have the .gov domain indicating they are the official websites of the federal government.