Rights & Protections For Everyone With Medicare

Rights & protections for everyone with Medicare

• Be treated with dignity and respect at all times.
• Be protected from discrimination. Every company or agency that works with Medicare must obey the law. They can’t treat you differently because of your race, color, national origin, disability, age, religion, or sex.
• Have your personal and health information kept private.
• Get information in a way you understand from Medicare, health care providers, and, under certain circumstances, contractors.
• Get understandable information about Medicare to help you make health care decisions, including:
  • What’s covered.
  • What Medicare pays.
  • How much you have to pay.
  • What to do if you want to file a complaintor appeal.
• Have your questions about Medicare answered.
• Have access to doctors, specialists, and hospitals.
• Learn about your treatment choices in clear language that you can understand, and participate in treatment decisions.
• Get health care services in a language you understand and in a culturally-sensitive way.
• Get Medicare-covered services in an emergency.
• Get a decision about health care payment, coverage of services, or prescription drug coverage.
  • When a claim is filed, you get a notice letting you know what will and won’t be covered. The notice comes from one of these:
    • Medicare
    • Your Medicare Advantage Plan (Part C)
    • Your other Medicare health plan
    • Your Medicare Prescription Drug Plan (Part D)
  • If you disagree with the decision of your claim, you have the right to file an appeal.
• Request a review (appeal) of certain decisions about health care payment, coverage of services, or prescription drug coverage.
  • If you disagree with a decision about your claims or services, you have the right to appeal.
• File complaints (sometimes called “grievances”), including complaints about the quality of your care.