Will Medicare Cover Required Oxygen Needs?

[Linda661]

I'll just apologize up-front if I am posting this in the wrong section: couldn't exactly find where to put an insurance question such as this one .....

For those who require oxygen and are on Medicare, is Medicare covering any part of your oxygen expenses? If so, is it under Part B and how is it being billed to Medicare (through the O2 provider?).

So far, we are paying 100% for mom's required O2 needs and no one in the medical venue is attempting to get Medicare support for it (I have kind of thought it strange if you need it that there would be no support for this...and I am finally getting around to questioning it).

I was tipped off at the hospital yesterday that Medicare Part B should be picking up the tab for oxygen if the patient meets certain assessment standards (which mom does, they tell me). They tell me that it doesn't matter that mom is currently on private pay at a nursing facility.

I called Medicare today and they told me the same thing (the 1-800 help line) and that it should be billed to Medicare through the oxygen supplier -- Medicare would then pick up 80% of the expense under Part B. Then I called the nursing facility billing department.......they called the O2 supplier and Medicare and they say NO, that Medicare will not cover her oxygen expenses no matter where she is, even when she comes home. The nursing home says I must have posed my question wrong to Medicare....just checking here to see if this is really true.

Thanks in advance for your help: at least if I know that others are getting reimbursement for this, it's worth my pursuing this issue further. I just still can't quite fathom how it isn't coverable when it's a medical necessity!

Linda

[Donna G]

Is there a social worker there? Usually they know about and set up these things.

Donna G

[bunny]

I believe Medicare picked up at least part of my mom's O2. I agree with Donna, talk to the social worker in the hospital.

[Linda661]

It was the social worker at the hospital that said she should be covered. Unfortunately no one on "the outside" seems to find that this is true so far and that's where it's gonna' have to happen from at this point .... I'll try to contact her and see if she can tell me more -- mom is discharged now, so my chances of having much attention from hospital staff at this point isn't great: I had to wait around that hospital 6 hours yesterday (before discharge) just to get the right people's attention to be sure that things would be in "correct order" upon discharge (especially her meds needs and any changes they made during this hospitalization)....they were not correct, either.

This really gets tiring and things are so backed up on the homefront now too....oh well

Linda

[luvmydog2]

Medicare picked up the bill for my mother and my brother. They both had LC.