What is Medicare?
Medicare is health insurance for the following:

• People 65 or older
• People under 65 with certain disabilities
• People of any age with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) (permanent kidney failure requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant)

The Different Parts of Medicare
The different parts of Medicare help cover specific services:
Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance)

• Helps cover inpatient care in hospitals
• Helps cover skilled nursing facility, hospice, and home health care

Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance)

• Helps cover doctors’ services, hospital outpatient care, and home health care
• Helps cover some preventive services to help maintain your health and to keep certain illnesses from getting worse

Medicare Part D (Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage)

• A prescription drug option run by Medicare-approved private insurance companies
• Helps cover the cost of prescription drugs
• May help lower your prescription drug costs and help protect against higher costs in the future

NOTE: In most cases we do not recommend members subscribe to a Medicare Part D Prescription Plan. The SOC Prescription Plan will under most circumstances provide you and your family with sufficient prescription drug coverage. However, their may be occasion where the prescription benefits offered by Medicare Part D are more cost efficient than those offered by the SOC. If you need further assistance, contact the SOC Fund Office at 212.964.7500, option 1.