New Program for Medicare-Covered Equipment and Supplies
Information You Need: New Medicare-covered Equipment and Supplies Program
As of July 1, 2008, Medicare recipients who live in or travel to one of 10 communities* in the country, with a prescription for any of the items listed below, must now get equipment or supplies from a Medicare-contracted supplier. People will now need to find out which suppliers are Medicare contract suppliers to make sure their medical products and services will be covered by Medicare.
The 10 product categories that are included in the program are:
Oxygen supplies and equipment;
Standard power wheelchairs, scooters and related accessories;
Complex rehabilitative power wheelchairs and related accessories;
Mail-order diabetic supplies;
Enteral nutrients, equipment, and supplies;
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) devices and Respiratory Assist Devices (RADs) and related supplies;
Hospital beds and related accessories;
Negative pressure wound therapy pumps and related supplies and accessories;
Walkers and related accessories;
Support surfaces including group 2 mattresses and overlays (in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach, FL only)
After the suppliers are announced in May, you can find out if a supplier is included in the program by visiting www.medicare.gov or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE.
*The new program will begin July 1, 2008 in 10 communities around the country, including Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC; Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN; Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH; Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX; Kansas City, MO-KS; Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach, FL; Orlando-Kissimmee, FL; Pittsburgh, PA; Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA; San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo, PR.
The program will expand to 70 additional areas in 2009 and to additional areas thereafter.
If you help people with Medicare who live in or travel to one of the 10 designated areas and who need one of these items, please make this information available to them, along with the Medicare fact sheet entitled “What You Should Know if You Need Medicare-covered Equipment Supplies.” http://www.medicare.gov/Publications/Pubs/pdf/11307.pdf