Marci's Medicare Answers

Dear Marci,
My husband was just diagnosed as diabetic, and his doctor prescribed medical nutrition therapy. Does Medicare cover this?
— Polly

Dear Polly,
Medical nutritional therapy, which may include diet counseling, is designed to help you learn to eat right so you can better manage your illness. With a doctor’s referral, Medicare will cover 80 percent of the cost of medical nutritional therapy for people with diabetes after they pay their annual Part B deductible. Medicare will generally cover three hours of medical nutritional therapy for the first year and two hours every year thereafter, although it will cover more hours if your doctor says you need them. Medicare will only cover these services if you receive them from a registered dietitian or other qualified nutrition professional.
— Marci

Dear Marci,
I fell and broke my arm two months ago, and my son says I should install safety rails in my bathroom. Will Medicare pay for it?
— Otto

Dear Otto,
No, Medicare will never cover home modifications (such as the installation of grab bars near the toilet or tub) or assistive devices (such as large-button telephones or flashing doorbell signals for the hard-of-hearing). Medicare will, however, cover durable medical equipment (DME)—equipment that is medically necessary, able to withstand repeated use, and is generally not useful to someone in the absence of illness or injury. DME includes items like wheelchairs, walkers, scooters and hospitals beds.
— Marci

Dear Marci,
I’m on Medicaid and am about to turn 65 in a few months. Will my drugs be covered by Medicaid or Medicare?
— Meredith

Dear Meredith,
Once you have both Medicaid and Medicare, you must get your drugs covered by the Medicare prescription drug benefit (Part D). You will be automatically enrolled in a Medicare private drug plan if you do not choose one yourself. You will also automatically get “Extra Help,” federal assistance that pays for most of the costs of Medicare drug coverage. You do not need to apply for this assistance.

When you get the letter from Medicare telling you what plan you have been enrolled in, you should call 800-MEDICARE or visit www.medicare.gov to make sure your assigned plan covers the drugs you need and that the pharmacies you use regularly are part of that plan’s network. If not, ask the counselor to help you enroll in a different plan that meets your needs. People who have Medicaid are allowed to change Medicare private drug plans once a month.
— Marci

Marci’s Medicare Answers is a service of the Medicare Rights Center (www.medicarerights.org), the nation’s largest independent source of information and assistance for people with Medicare. To speak with a counselor, call (800) 333-4114. To subscribe to “Dear Marci,” MRC’s free educational e-newsletter, simply e-mail dearmarci@medicarerights.org.

To learn more about the services that Medicare will cover and how Medicare works with Medicaid, log on to Medicare Interactive Counselor at the Medicare Rights Center’s website at www.medicarerights.org/help.html.