The Question of Medicare Coverage:

Miracle Medical must grapple with many different questions on a pretty regular basis. We are continually dealing with inquiries about specifics regarding our products by hospitals, doctors and
regular customers. Regular customers with diabetes, in particular, tend to ask us one question that
hospitals and doctors already know, and it usually goes something along the lines of “How much does
Medicare pay for medical equipment for diabetes?”

This question makes sense since Medicare and Medicaid insurance coverage is a cornerstone of
Healthcare as it currently exists. – vital, in many respects – and physicians need to have a deep
understanding of what it entails.

The average person, for a lot of reasons, isn’t always privy to the different aspects of Medicare, and that susceptibility to gossip can lead to confusion. Simply put, lots of ordinary consumers need diabetic medical equipment and supplies and want to know how much Medicare has them financially covered. Miracle Medical can fill you in.

The Specifics of Medicare B

First, our explanation requires more specificity.

When it comes to the topic of Medicare coverage for medical equipment, it refers to Medicare Part B. eHealth Medicare.com states that Medicare B ”covers medical services and supplies that are medically necessary to treat your health condition. This can include outpatient care, preventive services, ambulance services, and durable medical equipment “(What Is Medicare Part B? 2018).

The Medicare website includes an extremely comprehensive list of covered durable medical equipment.

The list includes and isn’t limited to crutches, hospital beds, canes, traction equipment, and much, much
more.

As previously stated, Miracle Medical equipment has an in-depth knowledge of diabetic treatment and care, so the inquiries we receive about Medicare coverage mostly links back to diabetes.

We say that, yes, Medicare covers durable medical equipment for diabetics, and that includes: test strips, glucose control solutions, lancet devices and more.

Medical Equipment for Diabetes and Their Medicare Coverage

Luckily, Miracle Medical offers many of the same medical equipment to consumers in the RGV, from McAllen to Pharr, Edinburg, and Weslaco. We have made sure that our medical equipment for diabetes meets the specific guidelines as outlined by Medicare.gov, which is:

• They must be durable.
• They must be for medical purposes.
• They are only necessary if you are sick or injured.
• They are in your home (“Durable medical equipment (DME) coverage”).

The 4 Types:

We can expand on this by delving into doing a brief overview of the type of durable medical equipment that we and other suppliers offer and explain how they are financially covered.

• Test Strips: Used in conjunction with glucose/blood sugar monitors to try and control a diabetic patient’s glucose or blood sugar level. A brand example would be One Drop test strips, and the typical cost for an online order is about $24.95.
• Lancets: Small puncture tools used for collecting blood samples from a diabetic patient, used with test strips and glucose monitors. A popular lancet brand is ReliOn, a package of which costs around $5.28.
• Glucose Control Solutions: A solution of glucose that’s utilized to measure the accuracy of Glucometers/Blood Sugar Monitors.
• Glucose/Blood Sugar Monitors: Small medical devices that are used to track the amount of glucose in your blood. Miracle Medical provides popular monitors such as the GlucoCard Vital and Expression from Arkray. Monitors typically cost around $9.80 to $9.90 from different providers.

Quantifying the cost with the insurance for equipment such as these is dependent on whether your supplier accepts assignment, which is an agreement from a supplier or doctor to be paid by Medicare (“Participating, non-participating, and opt-out providers”).

According to Medicare.gov, if any supplier or doctor you have accepts assignment, “you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount, and the Part B Deductible applies. Medicare pays for different kinds of DME in different ways. Depending on the type of equipment:

• You may need to rent the equipment.
• You may need to buy the equipment.
• You may be able to choose whether to rent or buy the equipment.

Medicare will only cover your DME if your doctors and DME suppliers are enrolled in Medicare” (“Durable medical equipment (DME) coverage”).

The Takeaway

We write articles such as this because we want you to have the correct information concerning the nature of Medicare coverage for diabetes. We will continue to publish relevant content about information relating to chronic illnesses because it aligns with our organization’s mission.

Like we explained earlier, there’s a lot of misleading or just flat out false claims about healthcare going out into the wilds of casual conversation and social media platforms.

We know that we have a duty to assist the vulnerable of the Rio Grande Valley and beyond, and that’s why we also advise you to seek out trusted medical professionals if you have more questions.

Works Cited

“What Is Medicare Part B?” EHealthMedicare, 22 Sept. 2018, www.ehealthmedicare.com/original-medicare-articles/medicare-part-b/.

“Durable Medical Equipment (DME) Coverage.” Medicare.gov – the Official U.S. Government Site for Medicare, www.medicare.gov/coverage/durable-medical-equipment-dme-coverage.

“Participating, Non-Participating, and Opt-out Providers.” Medicare Interactive, www.medicareinteractive.org/get-answers/medicare-covered-services/outpatient-provider-services/participating-non-participating-and-opt-out-providers