Medicare Parts

By: Tony Jackson

When I was first introduced to Medicare, I felt as though I was going back to grade school.... A, B, C, D, E, F, G... Part A, Part B, Part C, Part D. Would you like you C with or without D?

I know, I know, they were trying hard to make it simple. This is why when you breeze through a famous park, you will never see a statue of a committee.

While not the time to extrapolate in great detail, for the novice who may be visiting this page, I will explain it... hopefully with more clarity than those who assembled the various pieces of the great beast.

Medicare Part A

When you look at a Red White and Blue Card, the Medicare Card, you will notice that it has two lines. The first line has "Part A" and and effective date (the date the beneficiary was enrolled in Medicare).

Part A refers to the hospitalization coverage of Medicare. Medicare is an insurance plan. It is also known as a "Fee for Service Plan." Original Medicare has certain levels of coverage. Medicare Part A simply tells you that the beneficiary has coverage for hospitalization.

Medicare Part B

On the Medicare Card, you will see a second line that says "Part B" and also has an effective date. The reason why the effective dates are different is because some people who "elect" Part B (it is optional), do so after they are qualified to recieve part B. The reason for this is that Part A is provided for everyone who qualifies for Medicare and has no monthly premium. Part B on the other hand has a monthly premium. (which will remain the same for 2009, $96.40). This amount is usually deducted automatically from the beneficiaries social security income check.

Part B of Medicare covers physcian services, such as doctor's visits.

Medicare Part C

As discussed in my article about Medicare Advantage, Part C was added to Medicare in 2003. With these plans, the government essentially "farmed out" health insurance coverage to private insurance companies, such as Humana, Secure Horizons and Kaiser. These plans are typically HMO's and or PPO's and many times are coupled together with Part D, or Prescription Drug coverage.

Medicare Part D

Part D is simply the presecription drug coverage offered through Medicare and made available through private insurance companies. These plans at first, were offered separately as "stand-alone" plans, but are now often made available packaged togegether with Part C. Often times, these plans are referred to as MA-PD (Medicare Advantage with Prescription Drug Plan).

Marketing and obtaining leads for Part C and Part D in particular has recieved a tremendous amount of scrutiny, as is mentioned on our home page.

Effective marketing for these plans ought to include a solid marketing plan. The easy lead for marketing Medigap plans and Medicare Advantage has evaporated. This is why it is essential to become proficient not only with these plans (become professional), but also to learn ethical and effective marketing practices.


Tony Jackson is a Medicare Marketing coach and is the author of Medicare Marketing Gold.