To avoid a lapse in coverage, apply several months before your sixty-fifth birthday. As with most social security benefits, you are not entitled to receive retroactive payments, so always file in advance of an eligibility date to receive everything that is coming to you. Speak with someone at your employer's benefit office or your local Social Security Administration office to maximize your receipt of all retirement, social security-related, and Medicare benefits. Most hospitals either receive financial assistance under the federal Hill-Burton Act, which obligates them to admit a certain number of indigent patients, or have adopted Medicare and Medicaid programs. Although doctors are not legally required to treat Medicare patients or accept the fees set by Medicare, federal law prohibits them from charging Medicare patients more than 15 percent above the approved charge.
Some states have even stricter limits.
Medigap Insurance Not all medical and related costs you incur are reimbursable under Medicare. The exact coverage rules and limitations are often confusing. Insurance companies are frequently hired under Medicare to administer payments to health providers. Always read the policy carefully and question ambiguous terms before purchasing a supplemental medical policy. Know for certain what additional benefits you will receive once the policy is in effect and the extra costs, if any, involved.