More Medicare beneficiaries are entering hospitals as observation patients every year. The number doubled since 2006 to nearly 1.9 million in 2014, according to figures from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. It is often hard to distinguish if you are inpatient or outpatient (observation) when you are in the hospital and your status can sometimes change. This effects your costs while you are in the hospital depending on your Medicare coverage. Most of our Clients are on Medicare Advantage Plans and as such you typically pay less for outpatient stays than you would if you were inpatient. You can be kept up to 72 hours as outpatient. We always advise our Clients to ask for their status while in a hospital. Having a local Agent like us can help when it is time to review your hospital bill and determine your actual costs.
photo from Wix Media
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