Has anybody had an aortic valve replacement surgery while on the Original Medicare (without a supplemental plan) ? What were the out of pocket expenses ?
I suggest you go to www.medicare.gov/publications and download "Medicare & You" or call 1-800-medicare(1-800-633-4227) for the 2013 payment allowances.
In a nutshell, there is an "inpatient" hospital deductible of about $1200. Beyond the deductible, most of your inpatient hospital expenses will be covered 100% if you go to a Medicare Participating hospital(most hospitals participate). If you have Medicare Part B(premium withheld from SS check), you will have a small, +/- $100 annual deductible, and 80% of the medicare "approved" expense will be paid by medicare(you pay 20%) for physician charges(inpatient or outpatient). If you do not have Medicare Part B, you will be responsible for all, or most, physician charges inpatient or outpatient.
This is the current "open enrollment" period for enrolling in, or making changes to, 2013 Medicare Plans. Enrollment ends Dec. 7, 2012. I encourage you to contact Medicare and/or a private insurance co./agent prior to 12/7/2012 to make any changes that will help you mitigate your out-of-pocket costs.
Thanks dick0236, I know all this information. What I was curious about is how much charges for the valve replacement were actually attributed to part B. Some real life story, I mean.
