Will Medicare or Insurance cover strips?....

[njean]

Well, as of Nov. 1st, I became eligible for Medicare Part A. I also carry BCBS of NM thru my retirement plan.

Now, in the past, before being on Medicare, I would order the INR test strips from QAS, they would bill my credit card & send me a receipt. I would then fill out an insurance claim form & get reimbursed by BCBS.

So my question to any of you that are on Medicare, will Medicare reimburse me for the cost of the strips or will I have to file to my insurance co only??

I would appreciate whatever info you have to share. Thank you.

 

[Jackie]

I have InRatio, Medicare rents the machine and pays for the strips. They cover one a week, I call in my result to QAS each week and they fax Kaiser. My Medicare is turned over to Kaiser so I don't have any idea how it works with other insurance's.

 

[olefin]

Norma, I'm on Medicare and supplemental, I pay nothing. Nor have any paperwork. I went though QAS to get set up. Never heard from Medicare other than after a week QAS said I had been approved. QAS usually sends me test strips before I need them. I call my INR to QAS each time, that is all I do.

 

[njean]

Thank you Jackie & Dayton for the info.

I called Medicare & then QAS so that they could get started on the conversion process. It takes about 4 to 6 weeks for the transition, so luckily I had ordered an x-tra box of strips on my last order so I'm covered for 12 more weeks.

 

[Jackie]

QAS will get it all worked out for you, the only thing I had to do was get Kaiser's OK.. That took about 6 months to get worked out, I was the first patient that asked for home testing. I paved the way for others. Take care Norma.

 

[ShezaGirlie]

Oh Mizz Norma....welcome to Medicare. You're gonna love it...no more exorbitant insurance premiums to pay. I have a Medicare Advantage plan which is managed by a private insurance company and don't ask me why I chose that avenue. It took me about 4 months to get my machine ONLY because I didn't have normal government Medicare, but had a private insurance policy thru Medicare and had to go in-network and all that baloney.

Seems to be quite a deal since I pay zip..! But who knows how long that will last because the Prez has said he's gonna put the skids on that $117 billion the government pays the private insurance companies to administer Medicare. It's such an expensive convoluted situation..

Methinks I'm going back to traditional Medicare and give that insurance company the boot. Shoot, they didn't even know what a PTR/INR machine was..

I'd love to see a separate topic on here for Medicare....

 

[ShezaGirlie]

Norma, I'm on Medicare and supplemental, I pay nothing.

Hey olefin Dayton, send me the name of that FREE supplemental...

 

[njean]

The thing is Janie, I have to keep my BCBS in order to put my husband on that plan. He turned 62, & he's eligible for Soc Sec but not for Medicare until he's 65. I'm eligible for Medicare because of my disability. (I'm still way tooooo young!!!)

Since Bill is retiring from his job of 25 years the end of this month, I need to pick him up on my ins plan so I will see a significant decrease in my monthly retirement check!!! But, if we're still alive when he turns 65 & eligible for Medicare, (provided we still have medicare by then), then I'll drop the BCBS.

 

[Marty]

Medicare, we love you!

Medicare, we love you!

Its interesting how much you guys love your Medicare. Alice and I love it too.
I sometimes wonder why there is so much opposition to the "public option" in the new health bill now grinding through the House. Maybe someone could explain it to me. Actually I'd like to see Medicare for everybody but I know the insurance companies wouldn't like it at all and it would soon break the bank.

 

[Ross]

Its interesting how much you guys love your Medicare. Alice and I love it too.
I sometimes wonder why there is so much opposition to the "public option" in the new health bill now grinding through the House. Maybe someone could explain it to me. Actually I'd like to see Medicare for everybody but I know the insurance companies wouldn't like it at all and it would soon break the bank.

That is a taboo subject that was being discussed, but certain people didn't like it in the forums. It caused a royal ruckus and was deleted.

 

[Marty]

Sorry, Ross. I work in an environment where almost everything is taboo, but we can still talk a little about health reform. However, I understand why some feel it should not be discussed in this forum, and I will abide by this guideline.
So long, seeya in the prednisone column.