The four different parts of Medicare help cover specific services:

• Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance)
• Helps cover inpatient care in hospitals and certain follow-up services
• Helps cover skilled nursing facility, hospice, and home health care
• Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance)
• Helps cover doctors' and other health care providers' services, outpatient care, durable medical equipment, and home health care
• Helps cover some preventive services to help maintain your health and to keep certain illnesses from getting worse
• Medicare Part C (also known as Medicare Advantage)
• Offers health plan options run by Medicare-approved private insurance companies
• Medicare Advantage Plans are a way to get the benefits and services covered under Part A and Part B
• Most Medicare Advantage Plans cover Medicare prescription drug coverage (Part D)
• Some Medicare Advantage Plans may include extra benefits for an extra cost
• Medicare Part D (Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage)
• Helps cover the cost of prescription drugs
• May help lower your prescription drug costs and help protect against higher costs in the future
• Run by Medicare-approved private insurance companies

If you are already getting Social Security benefits when you turn 65, your Medicare hospital insurance (Part A) starts automatically. If you live in the United States you will usually be enrolled in medical insurance (Part B) automatically. Residents of Puerto Rico or foreign countries will not receive Part B automatically. They must elect this benefit.

If you are not already getting Social Security, you should contact them about three months before your 65th birthday to sign up for Medicare. You can sign up for Medicare even if you do not plan to retire at age 65. For more information, please go to medicare.gov for a free PDF guide.

Information is from www.medicare.gov