Medicare is the U.S. government's health care program for citizens who are 65 or older. However, people under that age limit can enroll in the program if they have certain disabilities or End-Stage Renal Disease. Medicare has three parts (A, B and D) that cover different areas of health care. Part A is hospital insurance to pay for visits to the hospital and similar types of care. Part B is medical insurance that pays for doctors' services and some preventive services. Part D is prescription drug coverage. While the program covers many health care services, there are some things that it will not cover. Medicare Part C is a private plan that provides all benefits of Parts A and B, but with different payments options.
Common Types of Care
Like regular health insurance, Medicare does not cover certain types of health care that are insured in other ways. This includes dental care, dentures, routine eye care and most glasses. However, it will cover one pair of standard frames with intraocular lenses after cataract surgery. Other common health care not covered are foot care, hearing exams, hearing aids and routine physicals.
Alternative Medicines
Medicare will not pay for any part of experimental treatments as these are not proven or even necessarily safe for patients. However, it will also not even cover common alternative treatments such as most chiropractic care and acupuncture. One exception for chiropractic care is when manipulation of the spine is deemed medically necessary because disks are out of place.
Custodial Care
Custodial care is considered to be help with things like bathing, dressing and eating. It is done at home or at a nursing home, but since it is not medical in nature and can be performed by non-medical professionals, it is not covered. However, when it is connected with a health care issue, such as surgery recovery or hospice care, it is covered.
Cosmetic Surgery
Cosmetic surgeries like face lifts are not covered by Medicare because they are not medically necessary procedures. An exception would be if the surgery is needed to repair a malformed body part so that it functions better. One example of this might be surgery to separate two fused fingers.
