Do your VA benefits cover dental, vision, and hearing, as well as $0 doctor visits to a doctor near you?
Did you know: Veterans may be eligible for both Medicare and Veteran Affairs—or VA—benefits, and some Medicare Advantage plans are built to help complement their VA benefits. In fact, any Medicare-eligible person (including veterans) can enroll in one of these plans where offered.
Many Medicare Advantage plans have a $0 premium, a broad network (including urgent care access), and many even offer a Part B giveback or premium reduction. Many plans also offer dental, vision and hearing benefits as well as an over-the-counter allowance and SilverSneakers fitness classes.
Dental Benefits
Dental in particular is an important factor because many Veterans don’t get it through their VA benefits. Congress designed VA benefits to care for those who have honorably served the nation. While the VA covers many medical needs, it doesn’t cover everything, and the two main coverage gaps in VA benefits include emergency care and dental care.
The VA offers dental care only to qualifying Veterans based on service history, current health and financial situation and benefit class. Yet maintaining good oral health is important for overall health from good nutrition to communication to self-esteem. Poor oral health is associated with chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. Most oral-health conditions are largely preventable and can be treated in early stages.
Many Medicare Advantage plans include dental coverage, including robust dental coverage not only for regular cleanings but also for more involved procedures like crowns and dentures. With dental insurance, Veterans can rest easier knowing their out-of-pocket costs could be lower and therefore more manageable.
Emergency Care
In addition to dental coverage, many Veterans also really like having options outside the VA for their treatment and care. While Veterans do not need to contact the VA before seeking emergency care, they do need to notify the VA within 72 hours of admission. For non-service-related emergency care to be covered by the VA, Veterans have to meet all of the eight requirements, not just a few.
How does a Medicare Advantage plan help with emergency care? Your Medicare Advantage plan will have a small, fixed co-pay for emergency room services that negates the need to rely on the VA in emergency situations. Having an MA plan opens up additional care options for Veterans while mitigating financial risk of admissions that are not covered.
Medicare Advantage plans can help to free Veterans from the complexities of VA emergency care. With a broad network, MA plans enable Veterans to seek care that may be more convenient with less financial risk. Most MA plans also include urgent care access.
Expanded Network
While the VA is the nation’s largest integrated healthcare system, Veterans may be inconvenienced by either wait times or travel distance, especially in the western half of the country. The Mission Act opened up additional private-sector care possibilities, but Veterans could still need more options depending on their health needs. Medicare Advantage plans offer more access to providers
Additional Benefits
Many MA plans offer additional supplemental benefits for health and wellness such as vision and hearing, SilverSneakers® and over-the-counter allowances for select products. These supplemental benefits put the whole Veteran, body and mind, front and center.
$0 Premium
A Medicare Advantage plan could mean more savings for Veterans. Many MA plan have a $0 premium. Some even offer a Part B Giveback. Moreover, MA plans help cap total expenses with maximum annual out-of-pocket limits.