[Diabetes-Talk] Medicare Coverage On Insulin Pumps.

[Eileen Scrivani]

Veronica,

When an insulin pump is covered by Medicare:

1.  It is Not considered an outright purchase, but rather it is a lease.
2. Under Medicare coverage/policy insulin pumps are given a 5, not a 4, year warrantee.

I’ve always heard that after the 5 year period is up they would approve an upgrade, but now this nonsense about the pump having to be malfunctioning as well. This is so discouraging & disheartening to me especially after my efforts of trying to upgrade early before they discontinued the “workable” models.  

Eileen
From: Veronica Elsea via Diabetes-Talk 
Sent: Thursday, January 3, 2019 7:51 PM
To: 'Diabetes Talk for the Blind' 
Cc: Veronica Elsea 
Subject: Re: [Diabetes-Talk] Medicare Coverage On Insulin Pumps.

Oh Lordy! My pump is new but this is ridiculous because if the pump is out of warranty, which they are after 4 years, and anything goes wrong, we have to pay. Honestly, I'm beginning to wonder why I even have Medicare or why I pay for supplemental insurance. Right now I'm paying more for supplies than I did for supplies combined with higher premiums when I had real insurance. Maybe someone has a great deal with the government on blood pressure meds or something because they're sure driving me batty. It shouldn't be this stupid or this difficult. 
Veronica


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-----Original Message-----
From: Diabetes-Talk [mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Alan Lemly via Diabetes-Talk
Sent: Thursday, January 03, 2019 4:37 PM
To: 'Diabetes Talk for the Blind'
Cc: Alan Lemly
Subject: Re: [Diabetes-Talk] Medicare Coverage On Insulin Pumps.

Eileen,

I have not heard of that and like you, I thought insulin pumps out of warranty qualified for replacement under Medicare. But I also would have thought that your pump provider would be the most up to speed on the current rules since they are the ones who benefit from your replacement. I don't know what type of pump you're using or the nature of your visual impairment but be careful about getting rid of a pump that is working for you unless you are certain the replacement you have in mind will work as well.

I poked around on the Medicare.gov site but was not successful finding anything helpful about warranty replacements of insulin pumps. If anyone else goes there to research, be aware that pumps are covered as durable medical equipment and are referenced as infusion pumps as opposed to insulin pumps.

Please keep us posted on what you learn.

Alan Lemly

-----Original Message-----
From: Diabetes-Talk [mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Eileen Scrivani via Diabetes-Talk
Sent: Thursday, January 03, 2019 4:16 PM
To: NFB Diabetes Talk
Cc: Eileen Scrivani
Subject: [Diabetes-Talk] Medicare Coverage On Insulin Pumps.

Hi All,

A question for those of you who have Medicare & use insulin pumps. My pump will be out of warrantee near the end of this month. The company with who I get my supplies contacted me today to make me aware that I will be able to upgrade at that time, �provided my current pump is malfunctioning.�

I had been under the impression or illusion that an upgrade would be approved if my pump is out of warrantee at the end of 5 years which it will be. However DMS is saying that is not enough for Medicare to approve a new pump, there must be a malfunction of which there is a specific list of 8 malfunctions.

Has anyone heard this before? Or, is it a new guideline?

Thanks.

Eileen


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