Getty Images | Westend61 | Westend61 According to a budget agreement released late Tuesday by Senate Democrats, Medicare, the health insurance program depended on by the majority of older Americans, will cover dental, vision, and hearing. President Joe Biden’s economic agenda includes a plan to spend $3.5 trillion over the next decade on climate change, health care, and family-service programs, all of which include the idea for expanded coverage. Although nothing in the budget blueprint is guaranteed to make it through the entire congressional process, Medicare proponents are optimistic that the extra benefits will be covered. The Center for Medicare Advocacy’s associate director and senior policy counsel, David Lipschutz, remarked, “This would be a really huge problem for the Medicare program and Medicare beneficiaries.” “If Congress adds [those] benefits, it will close some major coverage gaps that have been in the program since its creation,” Lipschutz said. Medicare covers approximately 62.7 million people, the majority of whom are 65 or older and rely on it as their primary health insurance. According to Lipschutz, the program was established by congressional legislation in 1965 under President Lyndon B. Johnson and essentially reflected health-coverage standards at the time, which did not include comprehensive coverage for dentistry, vision, or hearing. “However, as the health-care system has evolved, Medicare has frequently lagged behind,” he noted. Part A (hospital coverage) and Part B (outpatient coverage) are the two parts of original Medicare (outpatient care coverage). There is no coverage for dental, vision, or hearing, with a few exclusions, which can lead to beneficiaries foregoing services. Personal Finance has more: Before you pay for college, think about these tax strategies. How to recognize and manage a spending problem After you’ve quit your work, you’ll need to complete the following major steps. “Providing coverage for those who frequently go without required care because they can’t afford it and for people who pay a lot for the care they need would be a huge improvement,” said Tricia Neuman, executive director of the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Medicare policy program. If beneficiaries prefer to have their Parts A and B benefits delivered through an Advantage Plan (Part C), which generally includes those extras, they may have restricted coverage for dental, vision, and hearing. Advantage Plans are enrolled by around 40% of enrollees. However, according to Lipschutz, the additional coverage is rarely comprehensive. Expanded benefits, regardless of how substantial, would become standard in an Advantage Plan if they were required under original Medicare. “We’d like to think that this will improve benefits for all beneficiaries,” Lipschutz added. While no details on how the additional coverage would be paid for have been disclosed, Biden has supported raising taxes on the wealthy and corporations. The Senate Democrats’ announcement gave few details about anticipated changes, while earlier efforts to expand Medicare coverage may provide some hints. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, submitted a measure last week that would cover dentures, preventive and emergency dental treatment, refractive eye tests and eyeglasses, and hearing aids and exams. The additional coverage was also included of a larger health-care measure that passed the House in 2019 but was not taken up by the Senate. Beneficiaries would have contributed the normal 20% for some dental care under that provision. Major procedures, such as bridges, crowns, and root canals, would have been more expensive. Dentures would have been protected as well, but only to a certain extent. Also covered would have been routine eye and hearing exams, as well as hearing aids, contact lenses, and eyeglasses./n
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