Original Medicare (Parts A & B) and Medicare Advantage (Part C) are two different ways to get Medicare benefits.

Medicare Part A is hospital insurance. It helps pay for inpatient care and services you receive in a hospital or skilled nursing facility.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in American men, after skin cancer. However, it is also very treatable when diagnosed early. The 5-year survival rate for localized prostate cancer is 100 percent.

Mammograms may rival colonoscopies for the least-favorite screening test among women. In spite of this, many women stick to a regular schedule of getting them—and with good reason.

Medicare Supplement Plan F and Plan C will not be available to all Medicare beneficiaries starting in 2020. People who turn 65 or become newly eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020 will not be able to buy Plan F or Plan C.

The Medicare Special Enrollment Period allows you to switch plans or sign up for Medicare outside of the standard Medicare enrollment periods. Medicare grants a Special Enrollment Period for certain qualifying situations and life events.

Medicare Part B covers doctor visits, lab tests, preventive screenings and other outpatient health care services. Part B costs include a monthly premium, an annual deductible and coinsurance for most services.

Medicare Part B pays 80 percent of outpatient health care costs and 100 percent for many preventive services. But it pays to think carefully about when to sign up. Here’s why.