This may be the year that you "age into Medicare" (turn
65). Decisions about your health care are complex and
dependent on your individual situation. I am a Medicare
counselor, trained by the Alaska Medicare Information
Office and the Seattle Center for Medicare and Medicare
Services, and am on staff at ASAC. You can chat with me
any week day from 9 am to 5 pm to learn about websites
and publications that you may want. I can help you
enroll in Medicare A and B on line or pick a Part D
Prescription Drug plan from the twenty some plans
available in Alaska. We can also discuss the Medigap
(Medicare Supplement) plans available in Alaska.
These conversations with a knowledgeable, unbiased
source can provide you with an enhanced Medicare
vocabulary and many resources to assist you in making
your choices. My office is located in the Wellness
Office of the Anchorage Senior Center. Walk-ins are
welcome but if you prefer an appointment, call
770-2027.
Changes in How to Access your Medicare Part B Benefit
for Diabetic Supplies
If you have had your diabetic testing supplies
delivered by a local home medical supplier in the past,
you need to know that the rules are changing around
purchasing and paying for diabetic testing supplies. As
of July 1, 2013, if diabetic supplies are delivered to
your home by any method they would not be included as
part of the covered benefit under the Medicare program,
unless they are being delivered by one of the National
Mail Order Program Contract Supplier. This change is
being made in response to the many mail order suppliers
who defraud Medicare beneficiaries and the Medicare
system.
So you have 2 options:
- You can have your testing supplies delivered by one
of the National "contract" suppliers (there are 23
companies that will provide supplies by mail order
delivery
- You (or your caregiver) can physically pick up the
testing supplies at any local pharmacy, store or
supplier that is enrolled with Medicare.
If you continue to have the local pharmacy deliver to
your home ,(driver, van, mail), the supplies would not
qualify as a covered benefit under the Medicare
program. So, if the beneficiary chooses to go that
route, they still want to get their testing supplies
from the local pharmacy delivered to their home, that
pharmacy should then be providing the beneficiary with
an ABN (Advanced Beneficiary Notice) letting them know
that Medicare will not pay for this service and they
will be responsible for the payment in full themselves
and the claims would not be paid under the Medicare
program.
To fnd the suppliers go to
http://www.Medicare.gov/supplier, call 1-800-MEDICARE
at 1-800-633-4227 to find a contract supplier, or come
by the ASAC Medicare Information Office for assistance.
770-2027.
Are you moving away from Anchorage or Alaska?
To help you stay on Medicare please use our Medicare Moving Checklist
MEDICARE Fraud Alert
The Anchorage Medicare Information Office has gotten
two reports, one from the Mat-Su Valley (Palmer) and
one from Anchorage of a Medicare beneficiary receiving
a phone call offering a "free back brace." This is a
very widespread Medicare fraud scheme. Fraudsters will
call and fish around for peoples' Medicare Numbers,
names of physicians and their health condition. Then
the fraudster faxes paperwork to busy physician
practices for a signature approving the back brace and
the fraudster then can bill Medicare for a variety of
things. To avoid Medicare fraud, people should not give
Medicare numbers to anyone but the people in their
provider's office. Medicare does not call and offer
things "for free." Report fraud by calling the Senior
Medicare Patrol program/Medicare Information Office for
Alaska at 800-478-6065 or report to national Medicare
call center at 1-800-MEDICARE.
