Medicare Mental Health Benefits

Many elderly people and people with disabilities rely on Medicare for health insurance. Medicare covers a wide range of medical services including inpatient and outpatient treatment and prescription medications. It covers mental health care services and chemical dependency treatment, as well.

Medicare Part A

Most people receive Medicare Part A at no cost and it covers hospitalization, including hospitalization for mental health problems. It covers doctors' fees, laboratory tests and prescription medications received while in the hospital, even though these things are usually covered by other parts of Medicare. People that receive Medicare must pay part of the cost of hospitalization themselves. If they have other insurance plans along with Medicare, however, including Medicaid, those insurance plans may cover the costs not covered by Medicare Part A.

Medicare Part B

People must pay a monthly premium for Medicare Part B but they can get help paying those premiums if they meet income guidelines. Medicare recipients must pay a percentage of the cost for outpatient services themselves but if they have other insurance plans, including Medicaid, those plans may cover the portion not covered by Medicare. Medicare Part B covers a variety of outpatient mental health services, including visits to doctors to diagnose mental illness, prescribe treatment and monitor medications; counseling sessions; outpatient treatments like electroconvulsive therapy (ECT); and laboratory tests that monitor medications such as lithium.

Medicare Part C

Some Medicare recipients opt to enroll in a Medicare Advantage Plan, also referred to as Medicare Part C, instead of signing up for Parts A, B and D. Recipients can select a plan from several different ones. They must pay a monthly premium for Medicare Part C. Mental health coverage varies from plan to plan but these plans usually do pay for at least some mental health services. Recipients usually pay a co-pay for services received under Medicare Part C.

Medicare Part D

Medicare Part D covers a wide variety of prescription drugs, including antidepressants, mood stabilizers, sedatives, sleeping pills and antipsychotics. Medicare recipients must pay a monthly premium for Part D but like Part B, those with low incomes can get assistance paying their premiums. Recipients select the prescription plan they want from several different ones and some plans may not cover some drugs so recipients should select their plan carefully based on the psychotropic drugs they need. Recipients pay co-pays for their medications and some drugs may cost more than others; for instance name brand drugs usually cost more than generic formulas.

Sources:

Social Security Administration. http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10043.html#part1 . Medicare.

Medicare.gov. http://www.medicare.gov/publications/pubs/pdf/10050.pdf . Medicare and You 2011.