Dave Ramsey Team: Medicare Is the ‘Bikini’ of Health Insurance — How To Get More Coverage
Written by
Nicole Spector
Edited by
Molly Sullivan
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Medicare, the nationwide health insurance program for people 65 or older, has more than 66 million people enrolled. For many retirees and disabled people, Medicare, which provides low to no-cost health coverage, is absolutely critical. You can rightly call it a matter of life or death, as research shows that more than 26,000 Americans die each year because of lack of health insurance.
Though invaluable, Medicare has garnered its fair share of critics. One bone folks have to pick with it is the fact that, though Medicare covers quite a lot of health needs, it doesn’t cover all of them.
In a recent blog on financial guru Dave Ramsey’s site, Ramsey Solutions, Ramsey experts broke down all the aspects of Medicare, and, in one section of the post, pointed out where it falls short.
Medicare Doesn’t Cover Everything — Not Even Close
“Let’s just say if Medicare were an outfit, it’d be a bikini,” the Ramsey Solutions team wrote, and went on to list the following things Medicare doesn’t cover.
- Annual physicals. It’s pretty weird that Medicare doesn’t cover annual physicals given that regular health insurance generally does. It does, however, cover an annual wellness visit.
- Routine vision care. Just like regular health insurance, Medicare doesn’t cover routine eye exams or things like contact lenses and glasses.
- Dentistry. Not even dentures are covered by Medicare.
- Podiatry. Unfortunately, you’ll have to pay for many podiatry expenses out of pocket, despite how unfair that feels. Medicare Part B covers some podiatry care if the care is medically necessary.
- Hearing aids and hearing aid fittings. You’ll need to pay out of pocket to get hearing aids, and you’ll need to pay out of pocket to have them professionally fitted, too.
- Long-term care. If you need to go into assisted living or custodial care facility for an extended period of time, Medicare will not foot the bill.
- Cosmetic surgery. Cosmetic surgery is generally not covered by regular health insurance, so it makes sense that Medicare wouldn’t cover it either.
- Massage therapy. If you have chronic pain that is alleviated by massage therapy, you’ll have to sort out a way to pay for it on your own.
- Acupuncture. Though proven to help treat a number of health conditions including migraines and Parkinson’s Disease, Medicare only covers it as a treatment for chronic lower back pain.
- Chiropractic care. Medicare Part B covers chiropractic services, but that’s only when an adjustment is considered medically necessary.
More Coverage: Do You Need It? How Can You Get It?
What extra coverage you need in addition to Medicare varies, depending on your situation and, frankly, your budget. But one that most financial experts agree on is investing in long-term care insurance. There’s a pretty high chance that you will end up in a long-term facility in your old age.
If you’re curious about getting more coverage and want to explore your options, talk to a licensed Medicare professional. Typically, consultations are free and they’re here to help you navigate this strangely convoluted system.
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