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Does Medicare Cover Dental?

Medicare provides seniors with the necessary care they need. However, this is not the case when it comes to dental coverage. People 60 years old, and older often face dental issues. At least 20% of them deal with untreated decay.

Why such a high rate? Medicare does not cover dental examinations, dentures, annual cleanings, crowns, or fillings. This can leave you in a penny-pinch, because these procedures can get expensive. There are a few exceptions though!

Accidents Happen

Medicare Part A can pay for inpatient hospital care if you need to have emergency or complicated dental procedures–even though dental care isn’t covered. This means while they don’t exactly cover “dental” work, if your teeth are involved in an emergency procedure, it can be included in the overall payment.

These covered services have to specifically be “emergency or complicated dental procedures.” Once they are deemed as such by a medical professional, Medicare Part A will assist in payments.

dental care with two toothbrushes in a cup — *Dental health starts at home. Make sure you’re brushing and flossing twice a day, and use mouthwash!*

For example, if you were in an accident and needed to have your jaw reconstructed, then Medicare will cover it because it is within your hospital stay. It’s still dental work but under a different umbrella.

The same goes for if a disease causes issues with your teeth or your entire mouth. As long as it is approved by a hospital or doctor as “medically necessary,” then Medicare Part A will cover the costs. More example services that are covered include:

Oral exams in the hospital before a kidney transplant.
Dental splints and wiring after jaw surgery.
Dental services for radiation treatment for certain jaw-related diseases, such as oral cancer.
Jaw reconstruction when a facial tumor is removed.
Surgery to treat fractures of the jaw or face.
Oral exam in a rural clinic or Federally Qualified Health Care Center before a heart valve replacement.

People don’t take into account how important dental care is. Not only does it play a huge part in your overall digestive health, but it can also lead to serious problems if you don’t brush and floss.

Why Dental Care Is So Necessary

Irreversible diseases are your biggest worry. Not taking care of your teeth can lead to serious illness because bacteria will build up, and find its way into your bloodstream. This includes heart disease, dementia, diabetes, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and respiratory infections.

Worse yet, studies have linked gingivitis to Dementia and Alzheimer’s. The bacteria from the gum disease can enter your brain through nerve channels, or your bloodstream. The brain is then exposed to the bacteria which can lead to nerve cell damage and brain cell loss. When your brain nerves are damaged or die, memory loss and early dementia can occur.

Dental Options To Consider

Just because Medicare does not cover dental work, does not mean you are out of luck or have to suffer. Instead of paying for expensive dental work out of pocket (routine dental exams can cost you anywhere from $400-$500), these are the options you can consider:

dentist performing oral surgery on patient for dental care — *By taking care of your teeth, you can avoid expensive dentistry bills. If you have to pay them though, make sure your coverage can help.*

Medicare Advantage Plan– There are several advantage plans, like Part C, which cover preventative services. This includes cleanings, fillings, extractions, X-rays, root canals, and crowns.
Dental Insurance– There are stand-alone dental insurances that you can purchase. You would pay a monthly premium, and you would have to see an in-network dentist.
Discount Dental Plan– This plan requires a membership fee. It is usually cheaper than insurance and will give you discounted rates at certain dentists. The discounts normally range anywhere from 25-50%.

Your dental health is connected to your mental and physical health. If you do not take care of your teeth and gums, dire issues can arise. Dental issues aren’t given enough attention, and they can be just as bad as other diseases.

You can develop dementia and Alzheimer’s due to bad oral hygiene. It is linked to heart issues, cancer, and more. Make sure you brush and floss every day. Just because Medicare does not cover dental, does not mean you can not seek other options to make sure your oral hygiene is up to par.

Trump’s New Plan To Strengthen Medicare

With all of the recent talk and debates about “Medicare For All”, President Trump has decided to take action. In October, Trump signed an executive order while visiting Florida, pertaining to the Medicare health program. His goal is to improve Medicare by giving seniors the ability to choose from more affordable plans.

Protecting and Improving Medicare for our Nation’s Seniors

Because Democrats are pushing to expand Medicare to everyone, Trump proposed this plan in response. He stated that he will do whatever it takes to prevent the “socialist” proposal of Medicare For All. Trump’s order is aimed to reduce regulations, curb fraud, and provide quicker access to therapies and medical devices.

trump and new medicare plan book on shelf — *Every president we have tries to improve our healthcare system. Let’s see how these changes work in the long run.*

The order wants Medicare to offer and use more medical telehealth services, in order to reduce costs to seniors. The more that seniors have access to their doctors through telehealth, then the fewer emergency room visits would occur. And in order to accomplish this, Trump proposes to get rid of regulatory requirements that prevent medical professionals from practicing at the top of their licenses.

This means that the focus will move from doing clerical tasks that don’t require a physician’s level of training to the patient’s care. For example, instead of filling out forms, faxing paperwork, and requesting medical records, the tasks can be alleviated by an assistant, freeing up the medical staff’s time to give more attention to the sick.

Allowing nurse practitioners and medical assistants to practice at the top of their license would “really enhance access to care, enhance provider availability for all Medicare beneficiaries, including in fee-for-service, and really help, especially with the rural healthcare crisis,” HHS Secretary Alex Azar said in the media call.

More Money Back To Seniors

The order directs Medicare to create a new payment model that adjusts Medicare Advantage supplemental benefits. The purpose is to allow seniors to directly be a part of any cost savings that Advantage plans generate. This will include any monetary rebates, and lowered prescription drug prices.

Azar stated, “The executive order commissions us to examine all practices, regulations, and guidance to just make sure that we are not steering people into fee-for-service as opposed to giving them a genuine choice of Medicare Advantage or fee-for-service.”

“We’re lowering the cost of prescription drugs, taking on the pharmaceutical companies. And you think that’s easy? It’s not easy… I wouldn’t be surprised if the hoax didn’t come from some of the people that we’re taking on,” Trump said. He was referring to drug companies that were backing the impeachment efforts in Washington. He believes they were doing this as a way to sabotage his efforts of making prescriptions more affordable to medicare recipients.

seniors with medicare holding their grandchildren — *As we age, we need healthcare. So, any insurance system that focuses on helping us as we mature should be improved.*

What Trump Is Pushing For

The order is undoubtedly a way to pushback against Bernie Sanders’ Medicare For All proposal, which would open the Medicare gates to everyone in America. Trump sees it as socialism, with the administrator of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Seema Verma backing it up, calling it a “pipe dream” that would just lead to higher taxes.

Trump hopes that his proposal will be more beneficial to seniors, making Medicare a little more affordable, while at the same time condemning Medicare for All proposals.

Can You Lose Your Home To Medicare?

Everyone’s worst nightmare is losing their home. As you get older, you might find yourself needing extra care, thus moving into a nursing care facility. These facilities are not cheap, and you will need help paying for it. Sometimes if you owe a lot of money, the state or Medicare can step in and cease your home as payment. However, it doesn’t have to end up that way. Depending on your situation, you can avoid losing your home, but you have to know where to start.

Paying For A Nursing Home

Medicare covers many different expenses, but it doesn’t necessarily cover long-term stays in a nursing home. In order to pay for that kind of care, your own bank account will take most of the hit. Many people struggle with paying expensive bills like this, especially over time. As your savings dwindle, you could end up in a tough spot.

person using an exercise ball for their health paid by Medicare — *Nursing care is a safe place for some and a community for others, but it can get expensive.*

However, Medicaid offers a solution to this issue. Already, Medicaid beneficiaries have alleviated their payments using the program, and with great results for those with a fixed income. The only catch is that some nursing facilities don’t accept Medicaid, so it’s important to check before setting your heart on one home.

If this sounds good, the first step is to check if you qualify for Medicaid. One big requirement is that medical care is your biggest financial burden. Luckily, when you apply for Medicaid, their system doesn’t count your home as an asset. So, if you do need help in the future, they won’t come after your house.

When paying for a nursing home, the last thing you want is to gamble with your house. What’s more important, is that if you have a spouse or a relative living in the home, then you will definitely be better off.

So Can Medicare Take Your Home?

The state cannot take, sell, or hold your home in order to recover nursing home care payments.

There is a catch though.

The state paid for your benefits while in care, so they can try to recover those funds through your assets–like your home. If you’re worried about your relatives losing a place to live, then you must take precautions before moving to a facility.

Some of these include a relative or spouse living on the property. In addition, these are more valid options:

Transferring Your Home

Transferring is a great way to guard your property, especially if you transfer it to a relative like your child. Just keep in mind that Medicaid can penalize you for this action if it’s with anyone else, even rejecting you from their program altogether. The good news is, you won’t be penalized if your transfers are to:

Your spouse
A child who is under age 21
A child who is blind or disabled
A sibling who lived in the home already or has an equity interest (part ownership)

Lien On The Home

Another option is allowing Medicaid to put a lien on your home. This way, the program can earn back the funds they distributed in order to pay for your nursing home.

house with sunset behind it not taken by medicare — *Home is where the heart is. And the heart can be your family, your property, or your memories.*

If you sell your house, then you would have to pay the lien back to the state. There is an exception to this rule as well. If any of the above-listed individuals reside in said house, then you won’t have to pay the lien back.

Hardship Waiver

If a relative moved into your home prior to you leaving for nursing care, they might qualify for a hardship waiver. For instance, if your son moved into the house before you went to the nursing home, and had no other permanent residence, then they can avoid a claim against your house by Medicaid.

When Medicare Can Take It:

Recovery Of The Estate

One unfortunate downside to these loopholes hinges on your relative or spouse. If they die during this process, it puts your house back in danger. While hopefully, you will not run into this problem, it must be mentioned here.

Basically, if the person you transfer to passes away, the state can collect your home.

In order to protect your home, make sure that you are aware of the rules regarding Medicaid and nursing home payments in your state. Every state is different. While Medicaid is a great resource for assistance, you must be careful with your home. If you don’t take proper precautions, you could be betting your house on a roulette wheel.

Differences Between Commercial Insurance and Medicare

Both Medicare and Commercial Insurance have their strengths when it comes to coverage. In this time of debate over insurance and its costs, it’s more important than ever to know the differences between the two.

For business owners, you might be nearing the Medicare age and wondering which insurance you should focus on, or even how to balance them. While both have their merits, they each shine in their own way.

people in a meeting over commercial insurance and medicare — *It’s easier to see the difference between two concepts if you know how they work independently.*

Basically, Medicare was created to absorb risk for people with complex or expensive health issues. Commercial Insurance is a mandatory business expense for companies to operate in our economic sphere. One is social; the other is commercial.

Let’s expand more on these concepts, and how they actually help you.

How Commercial Insurance Helps

You can refer to our guides for commercial insurance if you are starting a new business, but for everyone else, the simple answer is minimizing risk.

Commercial insurance works to protect businesses from extenuating circumstances. From Worker’s Compensation to Business Owner’s Policy, these coverage types are put into place specifically to help businesses navigate through bad luck or human error.

Without this insurance, the negligence cases alone would bury any small business trying to set up. Any theft or property damage could cripple a company, not to mention the rising rate of cybercrime. It’s a dangerous world and the protection offered by this type is critical, if not enforced as mandatory by the state, to make sure business can continue.

How Medicare Helps

Medicare is completely different in conception. Instead of strategically sidestepping risk, it instead was created to help as many people as possible. American citizens pay into it throughout their careers so that when we arrive at either old age or a disability, we can access health care.

Medicare provides protection in these cases only, not for lawsuits or property damage. So, it is more effective for the average citizen. There is still confusion over whether Medicare offers the most coverage or an employer’s group health insurance. For more on that topic, read this.

One For Each Need

With what we’ve covered, commercial insurance is fantastic in the business world, as it has been designed to work in that sphere. On the other hand, Medicare, as a federally administered program, is a different beast entirely.

people discussing commercial insurance and medicare — *A simple look: Medicare is for everyone, while commercial insurance is just for businesses. Each individual must see how these stack in their case.*

While they can be used simultaneously, the different insurance types must be used properly in specific situations. These can be overwhelming to look at, especially if you want to use both to the best of respective strengths. Ready to get your best coverage?

EZ.Insure can give you the help you need to navigate both Medicare and Commercial Insurance. Your agent will answer any questions you have, compare different plans for you, and even sign you up when you’re ready, free of charge and without having to worry about being hounded by endless calls. To get started simply enter your zip code in the bar above, or you can speak to an agent by emailing replies@ez.insure, or calling 888-350-1890. EZ.Insure makes the entire process easy, and quick.

Can Hearing Aids Reduce Your Risk Of Dementia?

Hearing loss affects one-third of people over the age of 65, and two-thirds of those over 70. Many people who deal with hearing loss refuse a hearing aid, even when their insurance helps pay for it.

A road with the words dementia on it, and the wky in puzzle pieces with pieces missing. — *The risk of dementa can be reduced by using a hearing aid.*

Hearing aids do more than just help with hearing loss. Most people are unaware that hearing loss increases the likelihood of dementia, depression, balance issues, and anxiety. Therefore, by using hearing aids, you can improve your quality of life and lower your risk of dementia.

Understanding the Research

A University of Michigan team used data from nearly 115,000 people over age 66 with hearing loss. From 2008 to 2016, Elham Mahmoudi, MBA, Ph.D and her colleagues looked at the data for each person with hearing loss. They gathered this info one year before their diagnosis and then again three years later.

The study shows that men were more likely to get hearing aids than women. It also showed almost 37% of people with hearing loss in the north-central part of the US used hearing aids compared to the people in mountain states.

Those with hearing aids within the three years were 18% less likely to get diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer’s. Hearing aid users had an 11% lower risk of being diagnosed with depression, and a 13% lower risk of fall-related injuries.

Because of Dr. Mahmoudi and her colleagues, we see that hearing aids can help in other areas.

Reducing Risk Factors

Hand holding a hearing aid. — *Because they are able to enjoy life more, people with hearing aids are less likely to develop dementia and depression.*

Because they are able to enjoy life more, people with hearing aids are less likely to develop dementia and depression. They are more social, which in turn boosts cognitive health.

“Older people with hearing loss who wear hearing aids may be better educated or may socialize more, factors which are also associated with a reduced risk of dementia,” said Dr. David Loughrey, a research psychologist specializing in hearing and cognition.

Social isolation can result in less brain stimulation, and hearing loss promotes cognitive decline because you don’t have as much auditory input. Over time, the brain’s auditory centers degenerate, which in turn makes the brain struggle to compensate. It has to use more sources to process this information. Studies and scans show that your brain shrinks as you lose hearing.

Payment

When it comes to payment, Medicare Part B will cover a hearing exam if your doctor finds it necessary. Only four states (New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Arkansas) are required to cover hearing aid expenses, which probably contributes to their lack of popularity. Paying for hearing aids out-of-pocket can cost thousands of dollars.

However, there’s good news. The FDA has approved over-the-counter hearing aids for sale in 2020. They hope more people will purchase them with mild or moderate hearing loss.

From what Dr. Mahmoudi found, we can safely say that hearing loss affects your mental state. In order to stay on top of your overall well-being, invest in a hearing aid. You will be doing your mental, physical, and emotional health a favor. Just because hearing loss is an issue, does not mean you can not help promote a better life by getting a hearing aid. Hopefully, they will be available over-the-counter soon, or Medicare will offer more assistance in the future.

Surprise Bills Could Be Coming! Get To Know What’s Changing With Medicare in 2020

Big changes are coming for Medicare next year, affecting your coverage and wallet. Medicare Supplement plans C and F will disappear. Part B premiums and deductibles will rise. And for the first time since 2010, Medicare is changing the surcharges on high-income beneficiaries. Make sure you aware of all the changes ahead so you can make the necessary adjustments to fit both your needs and budget.

Part B

For 2019, the standard Medicare Part B premiums are $135.50 a month. Next year’s increase is projected to be about $144.30 a month.

Many seniors depend on Social Security to help pay for their premiums. For 2020, Social Security’s COLA, or cost of living adjustment, is expected to be about 1.6%. This would increase the benefit to $23 a month, which will in turn cover the increase in Part B premiums.

Medicare Premium and deductible prices for 2020 chart

The Part B deductible was $185 in 2019, and is now projected to increase to $197. In order to help pay for the deductible, Medicare beneficiaries will be forced to sign up for a Medicare Supplement plan.

Medicare Supplement Plans C and F

As mentioned, Medicare Supplement plans help beneficiaries pay for their Part B deductible. Plans C and F will no longer be available for purchase by newly-eligible Medicare beneficiaries.

As long as the beneficiary is enrolled in Medicare before 2020, they can keep their plan C or F, or can apply for them at a later date. These two plans are popular plans because they are the only ones that cover the Part B deductible in full.

Medicare Surcharges

With these monthly payments, Medicare covers 80% of charges, and the other 20% is up to the beneficiary. Some seniors have a higher income than others, and as a result, they also pay a higher price.

This higher price is referred to as a “surcharge”. The surcharges are imposed because these higher-income beneficiaries can afford to pay more for healthcare. The surcharge is called IRMAA, which stands for Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount.

For the past couple of years, high-income beneficiaries were in the set income bracket of $85,000 for an individual, and $170,000 for a married couple. Starting in 2020, the income brackets will be adjusted for inflation.

2019 & 2020 Medicare Surcharges chart — *2020 Medicare Surcharges*

The surcharge will now apply for those making an income of $87,000 as an individual, and $174,000 for a married couple. Premiums in 2019 range from $189.60 a month to $460.50 a month, depending on income. For 2020, these amounts are projected to range from $202 a month to $490.50 a month, depending on income.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have not announced the actual increase in Part B premiums and deductibles yet. However, the projections are enough to make a Medicare beneficiary prepare for the upcoming changes. Seek out any Medicare Supplement plans you might want to get, especially if it is plan C or F.

Do not be in disarray or panic about the changes ahead. If you are enrolled in Medicare, signing up for a Medicare Supplement plan does not have to be a hassle. EZ.Insure can take care of the research of all the plans within your region, provide you with the best options that meet your coverage and price, and sign you up. You will be given your own personal agent who is highly trained within your region. We offer you all of these services for free! To get started, simply enter your zip code in the bar above, or to speak with an agent, email replies@ez.insure, or call 888-753-7207.

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