Medicare & Diabetes

Posted on October 31, 2010 by bob in Medicare

Dear Marci,
I was recently diagnosed with diabetes, and my doctor says I will need training to learn how to manage this disease. Is the training covered by Medicare?
— Patti

Dear Patti,
If you have diabetes and your doctor says that you need diabetes self-management training and education, Medicare will cover up to 10 hours of self-management training for your first year, and two hours every following year under Medicare Part B.

Medicare Part B will also cover certain diabetic supplies, such as home glucose monitors and control solutions, lancets and test strips. You can get these benefits even if you don’t use insulin.

If you use an external insulin pump (one worn outside the body), the insulin and the pump may be covered as durable medical equipment under Medicare Part B. Contact 800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227) for more information. If you inject your insulin with a needle (syringe), the Medicare drug benefit (Part D) covers the cost of insulin and the supplies necessary to inject the insulin, including syringes, needles, alcohol swabs and gauze.

Your Medicare drug plan will cover other medications to treat your diabetes at home as long as they are on your plan’s list of covered drugs (“formulary”).

Medicare will pay 80 percent of the Medicare-approved amount of all covered diabetes supplies and services, after you have paid the yearly Part B deductible. (If you are in a Medicare private health plan—HMO or PPO—you may have a copay for this service. Call your plan to find out what you will have to pay.)

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,” the Medicare Rights Center’s free educational e-newsletter, simply e-mail dearmarci@medicarerights.org.