Q. How will the Health Reform Proposals Affect YOU, if you have Medicare coverage now?

A. For the most part, your coverage will remain very much the same. The two fictional families below describe how the proposed bills affect people with Medicare. The impact would vary depending on whether you have "traditional" Medicare or an alternative sometimes called Medicare Advantage.

• Traditional Medicare. This coverage features the red, white, and blue Medicare card. Seniors enrolled in traditional Medicare may have other coverage plans to help cover the ìgapsî in Medicare coverage. For example, they may have a Medicare "Part D" (prescription drug) plan and/or have a Medi-gap policy to cover medical costs Medicare does not.
• Medicare Advantage - These plans are approved by Medicare and run by private companies. When you join one of these plans, you are still in Medicare. These plans cover the same services as Medicare but use different cost-sharing arrangements and may include extra benefits like eyeglasses.

You can also view other types of families that donít have employer coverage.