Is it true Medicare benefits for Christian Science care facilities are being discontinued?
Someone called me today to ask if Medicare benefits in Christian Science facilities would be discontinued under the Federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) of 2010. Medicare benefits in Christian Science care facilities (Part A of Original Medicare) have not been changed and are not slated to change in 2014 when the PPACA mandates for individuals go into effect. For more information on Original Medicare Part A, see our website — Medicare for Christian Scientists.
I can understand why people have these questions and why there can be confusion– there is a continuing glut of information about Medicare and health care insurance. And whenever federal budgets and cost-cutting measures make the news, you can be sure that Medicare and health care insurance will be mentioned.
I’m always happy to field your questions on health care insurance or Medicare, and would also like to remind you about some other good resources for your questions…
- The BA’s website http://www.chbenevolent.org/ has helpful information on this subject. Go to the links in the footer on any page of the website for “Health Care Insurance.”
- The Mother Church’s website, christianscience.com, is excellent. The section on health care insurance has up-to-date information.
- The official Medicare website Medicare.gov is a rich resource.
- AARP, despite the emphasis on medical health information, has a useful website, and their “Guide to Medicare” Starter Kit is good.
For a typical Medicare A inpatient stay, what is the percentage of expenses covered and paid?
Would this depend on the level of care provided: i.e. basic or intensive?
What items would generally be excluded or require a co-payment?
Thanks for any other information.
Great questions Mark. We’ll post answers here soon.
Mark,
For individuals who qualify for Medicare Part A in a religious nonmedical healthcare institution (RNHCI) such as the Benevolent Association, there is a one-time deductible in the first 60 days. For the next 30 days (61-90) there is a daily co-insurance. The individual must continue to require skilled CS nursing for Medicare to cover. Examples of excluded items would be CS practitioner payments, guest meals, non-nursing supplies, haircuts, long-distance telephone charges, etc. For more information check out our website chbenevolent.loc. The footers have a section on Healthcare Insurance and specific pages on Medicare.