Medicare has four main health plans labeled A-D. These health plans are based on a fee-for-service so each beneficiary is required to pay coinsurance or deductibles for in and out patient services. As a result the full cost will not be covered and if one is really low-income then there are extra ways to get by but not everyone will qualify. 

Medicaid Part B covers outpatient services so any behavioral health care will be covered by this plan. However, some of these expenses do not get full coverage. Beneficiaries still pay 20% of coinsurance which is the same rate whether one has an in-person provider visit or telehealth care. Moreover, because telehealth can be more efficient, insurance companies may not want to cover for these visits in the near future which needs more attention and awareness before telehealth can be fully covered by some insurance companies.

Cost and inadequate coverage for these services was the greatest concern across all the adults in one particular study regardless of their ethnicity or socio-economic status. Although some may have been wealthy and saved a lot of money, most of their savings go down the drain after paying to live in nursing homes and/or medical care. Oscar, a CNA and HHHA, shared that a patient “did not want to live any longer because he was becoming a burden and wanted to leave some savings to his children instead of spending so much money on himself when he already lived a long life.” This shows that money is a concern for older adults when it comes to medical expenses and we need more funding from insurance companies.

Although this is a more localized insurance company, Kaiser Permanente offers an HMO health insurance and it focuses on the health prevention side of things. One is required to pay a flat fee of about $20 per month on the basic package and fees will increase to about $79 in the enhanced plan. For the most part, there is a flat fee for other services but this only benefits those that need little medical attention and have sufficient money saved. Mental health recovery is a process and will take more regular visits to meet with a trained mental health provider. As a result, medical bills will increase, leaving some in debt. This is why some prefer not to pay for mental health care when they would rather pay other more pressing needs.