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This web page covers California Medigap assignment. The Medicare system decides in advance how much it will pay for a health care cost. It is quite possible and common that the amount Medicare will pay for a certain expense is less than the actual cost. When the supplier or provider agrees to the amounts approved by the Medicare system they are said to accepting Medicare assignment. If the supplier or provider does not accept the approved amount as full payment then the covered individual might have to pay what is left. Assignment doesn't apply to Medicare part A it just applies to Part B costs. People who do not have Medicare Part B are responsible for all the costs of physician services and medical supplies. There is a monthly premium with Medicare Part B. There is also an annual deductible associated with Part B of Medicare Along with the deductible there is a 20% coinsurance amount that the covered individual is responsible for. If the provider doesn't accept assignment then there will be further costs. When a provider accepts assignment, they are taking the Medicare approved amount as full payment for the product or service. Medicare will then pay 80% of the approved amount. The insured individual is then responsible for the remaining 20%. Different Medicare Supplements handle these remaining expenses in different ways depending on which plan you have. The Medicare Supplement section of the site has further information on how the various Medicare Supplements work. When a doctor does not accept assignment he or she can only charge an individual up to 15% more than the Medicare approved amount. This is known as the limiting charge. For those doctors who do not accept assignment in all cases, the approved amount is reduced by 5%. When a supplier doesn't is no limit on how much that supplier can charge for the supplies. In other words there is no limiting charge for supplies. Some services and supplies are not subject to the limiting charge. Certain providers, such as hospitals, must always accept assignment. We have assisted Californians with their Medicare Supplement requirments for well over 20 years. We want to help you with your Medigap needs. Let us answer your Medicare questions. We can find the correct coverage for you. When you have questions regarding Medicare Supplements then call us. We will give you all the information you need now. One phone call or email can take the confusion and solve your problem. |