Medicare Private Fee-for-Service Plans are fee-for-service plans offered by private companies. The general rules for how Medicare Private Fee-for-Service Plans work are below.
You can go to any Medicare-approved doctor or hospital that accepts the terms and conditions of your plan’s payment agreement.
You may get extra benefits not covered under the Original Medicare Plan, such as extra days in the hospital.
The private company, rather than the Medicare Program, decides how much it will pay and what you pay for the services you get.
If you’re in a Medicare Private Fee-for-Service Plan, you can get your Medicare prescription drug coverage from the plan if it’s offered, or you can join a separate Medicare Prescription Drug Plan to add prescription drug coverage if drug coverage isn’t offered by the plan.
If the Private Fee-for-Service Plan pays the doctor or hospital directly, you won’t have to pay the doctor or hospital bill. However, other plans may make you pay all of the doctor’s or hospital’s bill, and pay you back the plan’s share later. Before joining any Private Fee-for-Service Plan, you should ask the plan or check plan materials to find out how you will have to pay bills.