Health insurance is a topic which unfortunately is a controversial one in the United States. Discussing how a person should be taken care of medically, in addition to how such treatments should be paid for is a point of contention across the political and social spectrum. In many cases, it’s just easier to sign up for whatever healthcare option is readily available and to simply not talk about it. This helps to avoid disagreements which can lead to exceedingly long debates about the costs of medical care, and how much care should be paid for.
Though contentious to discuss, citizens in the United States still obtain medical coverage to help with medical expenses which might arise. Many people utilize the medical coverage which their jobs offer, or they might use other private insurance options. Many people over the age of 65 can take part in a government-sponsored program called Medicare. Private coverage and Medicare both offer different types of coverage for a variety of medical-related ailments. This allows people to have options when they choose between what coverages they might want.
Medicare
Let’s begin with defining what Medicare is. This government medical insurance program was established in 1966 for United States citizens 65 and older. The program is a broad program of health coverage that was created to assist elderly US citizens with their hospital, medical, and various other health costs. Medicare covers a variety of different medical-related services, but the costs are considerably less compared to other private insurance options.
For instance, Part A of Medicare covers hospital stays, and Part B covers such things as doctors’ services and outpatient care. There are some parts of Medicare coverage that are somewhat limited though. This includes when it comes to funeral expenses like funeral costs, funeral home costs, burial expenses, cremation costs, memorial service, and direct cremation costs. Medicare doesn’t help to cover burial or funeral costs if a beneficiary passes away. This answers the question of does Medicare cover cremations?
In cases like this, it helps to have other options life insurance, term life insurance, whole life insurance, and universal life insurance to help deal with final cost expenses. The only end of life expenses that Medicare will take care of is through an adjacent government program, the Social Security Administration (SSA). The SSA does help to pay for survivor benefits, which can help to pay for funeral costs like burial expenses, cremation costs, and memorial service costs.
Private Insurance
Private insurance is medical insurance which you purchase on your own through healthcare providers. This can be provided through your place of employment or you can personally purchase the insurance yourself. Based on the provider, what’s covered by private insurance, or how much the costs will be will vary. Private insurance covers preventative services, ambulatory patient services, pregnancy care, pediatric services, and hospitalization services.
Private insurance can be purchased for yourself, or your family. The costs and services will be varied based on the age of the insured, and whatever services they are seeking. The good thing about private insurance is that it can help to tackle any unexpected medical expenses which might arise for you the policyholder, or anyone else in your family. It’s best to have peace of mind when it comes to figuring out what your private insurance will or will not cover.
Once again as with Medicare private medical insurance doesn’t cover end-of-life expenses. First, look into life insurance policy quotes to make sure your family won’t have to handle this financial burden when you pass away. It’s best to look into other types of insurance which take care of funeral expenses. These include final expense insurance, universal life insurance, term life insurance policies, and whole life insurance.
