RE: Medicare or insurance?
(11-10-2018, 03:53 PM)Homerec130 Wrote: I would also wait. Seeing as you are most likely shifting to Medicare, they will require you to go through another whole sleep study before they will pay for consumables such as masks, cushions, and the like. I was faced with that and my insurer was a sister to Medicare. Waited until I was on Medicare and had a new sleep study (last one was 6 years ago) and now waiting on the results so I can get my new machine.
Homer
as long as you can supply a past sleep study medicare does not require a new one for supplies or machine. your doc or dme may have lied. i went on medicare 4 yrs ago, got supplies and last year got a new machine. last year my wife went on medicare and gets supplies. both of our sleep studies were several years before going on medicare.
First Diagnosed July 1990
MSgt (E-7) USAF (Medic)
Retired 1968-1990
RE: Medicare or insurance?
(11-10-2018, 05:52 PM)greatunclebill Wrote: (11-10-2018, 03:53 PM)Homerec130 Wrote: I would also wait. Seeing as you are most likely shifting to Medicare, they will require you to go through another whole sleep study before they will pay for consumables such as masks, cushions, and the like. I was faced with that and my insurer was a sister to Medicare. Waited until I was on Medicare and had a new sleep study (last one was 6 years ago) and now waiting on the results so I can get my new machine.
Homer
as long as you can supply a past sleep study medicare does not require a new one for supplies or machine. your doc or dme may have lied. i went on medicare 4 yrs ago, got supplies and last year got a new machine. last year my wife went on medicare and gets supplies. both of our sleep studies were several years before going on medicare.
I asked Medicare the question and they told me that since my study was more than 5 years old I would need a new study before my machine would be supported. In my case it was not really an issue as my sleep doc was going to do a new study so I could get a new machine. We just delayed it a couple of months until my insurance swapped over. My old insurance required a new study to replace a machine if the sleep study was more than 5 years old.
Homer
Advisory Members serve as an "Advisory Committee" to help shape Apnea Board's rules & policies.
Membership in the Advisory Members group does not imply medical expertise or qualification for advising Sleep Apnea patients concerning their treatment.
RE: Medicare or insurance?
Find out what your coverage is now. Medicare is full of hassles, so if you can get it now for little money, that's all to the good.
It is not true that Medicare requires you to do another sleep study. Depends on whether you have a copy of your sleep study. If you have a new machine and are already being treated, you just have to make sure that you have a current discussion with your doc and that it is in his/her notes.
RE: Medicare or insurance?
Keep in mind if your deductible is payed up with your private health care plan, it will start over in January. If it were me and I met my deductible this year I would want to get it done before the end of the year. Your insurance should still cover the remaining months payment after you retire.
I'm sure you are aware you will have to add Medicare B after you retire at a monthly expense. It might possibly cost you more out of pocket to wait. (apnea is covered out of Medicare "B" and not Medicare "A")
RE: Medicare or insurance?
(11-13-2018, 07:57 AM)michael9346 Wrote: Keep in mind if your deductible is payed up with your private health care plan, it will start over in January. If it were me and I met my deductible this year I would want to get it done before the end of the year. Your insurance should still cover the remaining months payment after you retire.
I'm not a medical biller but I believe if your cpap is still renting and you switch to Medicare. You might have to return the "new" cpap and get a new one. The 13 month rental will restart and you'll have to prove compliance and it'll rent for another 13 months before being "paid" for. I don't believe Medicare will continue payment for the remaining months of the first cpap.
...but i've been wrong before...
