Which Medicare supplement best for CPAP?

[chunkyfrog]

I am curious if any folks found any particular Medicare supplement which is supportive toward XPAP users.
That is, will any plans cover or help with outright machine purchase?
--and whatever else straight Medicare is crappy about.
Not there yet; but figured it would be good to check.

[prp]

Medicare provides access to:

* free treatment as a public (Medicare) patient in a public hospital, and
* free or subsidised treatment by medical practitioners including general practitioners, specialists, participating optometrists or dentists (for specified services only)

I think you might be confusing it with Medibank PRIVATE (the Health Fund)?

If you want a rebate on a CPAP machine you want extras cover. But you'll have to serve any waiting periods before claiming and I think the most you can get is around $500

[chunkyfrog]

Really?--no more than $500--I wonder which supplements give the best return for the premium amount
--a number amount is a very good place to start.
Since the Medicare supplements are intended to help with items/services NOT covered by Medicare,
--that is what I am looking for.
It seems like a good idea to shop for a supplement well in advance, and then keep an eye on changes.
I'd really love to see a spreadsheet of companies--lined up with their benefits, and premiums.
We all could compare, based on our anticipated needs.
None of us can assume we can afford to wait to do our research.

[Janknitz]

Every state has a free health insurance counseling program for Medicare recipients. In California, it is called HICAP (Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program) and in other states it is called SHIP (State Health Insurance PRogram). The toll free number for your state's program is on the back of the "Medicare and You" guide that you receive from Medicare each year. If you can't find the number, call 1-800-Mediccare or go to http://www.Medicare.gov.

The trained counselors can help you evaluate the Medicare supplement/Medigap policies available to you in your area and help you determine what kind of coverage they have for CPAP equipment and supplies over and above your Medicare Part B benefits. It is particularly important to understand how CPAP is covered if you choose a Medicare Part C (also called Medicare Advantage) Plan--an HMO or Private Fee for Service plan. Those plans often limit your choices a lot.

Remember that original Medicare will pay 80% of Medicare's set fee for CPAP equipment and supplies (but insurers may pay more or less in a Medicare Advantage Plan). So what you need to know is what kind of coverage, if any, a supplement/Medigap plan provides to pay the remaining 20% and if a particular plan limits you to only certain providers or a limited "formulary" of equipment. You also need to understand Medicare and your supplemental insurer's deductibles.

An example. If you have Kaiser (an HMO Medicare Advantage plan) here in California, you may use ONLY Crapria to get your equipment and there is a limited formulary--ONLY PR machines, a limited choice of masks. Meanwhile, you still have to pay the 80% Medicare does not out of your own pocket--I don't think Kaiser picks that up.

[Janknitz]

Medicare provides access to:

* free treatment as a public (Medicare) patient in a public hospital, and
* free or subsidised treatment by medical practitioners including general practitioners, specialists, participating optometrists or dentists (for specified services only)

I think you might be confusing it with Medibank PRIVATE (the Health Fund)?

If you want a rebate on a CPAP machine you want extras cover. But you'll have to serve any waiting periods before claiming and I think the most you can get is around $500

Perhaps PRP is referring to a program called "Medicare" in another country???? This is NOT how Medicare works in the US.

[GumbyCT]

I'd really love to see a spreadsheet of companies--lined up with their benefits, and premiums.
We all could compare, based on our anticipated needs.
None of us can assume we can afford to wait to do our research.

See if this is what you are looking for. It gets very confusing.

http://www.medicare.gov/find-a-plan/que ... -home.aspx

Edit: I clicked on "View summary of Original Medicare benefits" under "Additional Tools & Information" in the above link so not sure if it will work for everyone.
http://www.medicare.gov/find-a-plan/res ... rm=Medigap
Give it a try and let me know, it opened a pop-up for me with "My Plan Details".

Edit2: And more - I think Part C is what you are looking for.
http://www.medicare.gov/navigation/medi ... art-c.aspx

[Janknitz]

chunkyfrog wrote:
I'd really love to see a spreadsheet of companies--lined up with their benefits, and premiums.
We all could compare, based on our anticipated needs.
None of us can assume we can afford to wait to do our research.

Sorry to keep tooting this horn, but our local HICAP (I'm a volunteer) lays out all the plans available in this geographic location and lists benefits, premiums, co-pays, and deductibles. I'm guessing that other regions HICAPS and SHIPS do as well. They are really a great resource and they are FREE!

It's open enrollment time and people who are on CPAP should really take a close look at the various plans to get some idea of what to expect in out of pocket costs. Particularly if you have used a Medicare Advantage plan--the new health care reform has removed the extra supplements from Advantage plans and you might see a significant increase in premiums or a reduction in coverage this year and next. Don't just assume you will get the same level of coverage next year.

[chunkyfrog]

Thank you.
I hope they are as decent in Nebraska.
A lot of jerks here.