Comparing the Traditional Medicare Plan and Medicare HMO's

Part 3, Chapter 11: Medicare and Medicare Related Programs: Medicare HMO's Page 3

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Medicare HMOs

Table 16: Comparison of the Traditional Medicare Plan and Medicare HMO's

Issue	Traditional Medicare Plan	Medicare HMO's
Coverage for standard types of care such as doctors' visits and tests	Yes	Yes
Need for Medigap plan	Yes	May not be necessary
Need to obtain approval for expensive tests or consultations with a specialist	No	Yes
Coverage for prescription medications	No	Yes, in many cases
Coverage for eyeglasses, hearing aids	No	Yes, in many cases
Coverage for preventive care	No (except for situations such as coverage for certain vaccines)	Yes

Note: Coverage for some of these services may also be available through a Medigap plan

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