Understanding Medicare
The Parts of Medicare
Part B is your outpatient medical coverage. Part B covers essentially all of your other medical services outside of your inpatient hospital care. Without Part B, you would be uninsured for doctor’s visits (including doctors who treat you in the hospital). You would also not have Medicare coverage for lab work, preventive services, ambulance services and outpatient surgeries.
More importantly, Part B covers cancer therapy and kidney dialysis. These are extremely expensive items that would cost a fortune without Part B an supplemental coverage.
The cost of Part B is set by Social Security and it changes from year to year. Individuals in higher income brackets pay more than those in lower incomes brackets. Your modified adjusted gross income reported to the IRS determines what your Part B premium will be.
You can read more about the cost of Part B on our Medicare Cost page.
What is Part C and why don’t you have to enroll in it at Social Security like A & B?
Part C refers to the Medicare Advantage program, or private insurance. The cost of Advantage plans varies by carrier, county of residence, and plan selected.
To enroll in a Part C plan, you must first be enrolled in both Parts A and B. Even if you find a Part C plan with a very low premium, you will still pay for Part B. You must also live in the plan service area and apply during a valid election period.
Once you enroll, your Medicare coverage will come from the Advantage plan itself, not from the government.
The reason you don’t enroll in Part C at Social Security is that Part C is voluntary. Many people prefer to get their Medicare coverage from Original Medicare and traditional Medigap plans. These people do not want a Part C Advantage plan, so they will simply not enroll in one.
It is your choice whether you wish to opt for one as opposed to just staying with your original Medicare A & B and enrolling in Medigap in addition to a Part D plan.