Insurance

hi again
what do you do if your insurance dropped you?
and then what will happens next.
i take dialysis 3 times a week at a dialysis center
i was told that i can get in social serurity.
so what do i do till it starts.
the painted horse:(

You can get Medicare at any age:
– If you are on dialysis; and
– If you’re a US citizen or permanent legal resident who has lived in the US 5 years; and
– If you have the right amount of work history yourself or if your spouse has worked enough.

Call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 to find out if you’re eligible and get your application started. You have 3 options for when Medicare can start: the date you were first eligible, the date you apply, or the date your application is approved. Ask if you can have your Medicare start when your other insurance ended.

Medicare Part A (free for most) is hospital Medicare and covers inpatient care, nursing home care, some home health care, hospice care, etc. Medicare Part B is doctor and outpatient care, including dialysis. There is a premium for Medicare Part B. If you’re income is limited and you have limited assets, your state may pay your Medicare Part B premium.

Medicare has a booklet entitled Medicare Coverage of Kidney Dialysis and Kidney Transplant Services.
http://www.medicare.gov/Publications/Pubs/pdf/10128.pdf

There is a booklet on the Life Options site called Employment: A Kidney Patient’s Guide to Working and Paying for Treatment that talks about Medicare and other coverage.

Your dialysis social worker should be able to explain options for coverage in your area. You might also want to talk with your state insurance department to find out if you can get Medicare supplement insurance to pay the deductibles and 20% coinsuance that Medicare doesn’t pay of dialysis charges. Be sure to tell the insurance department that your health plan dropped you. This may give you more rights and protections.

Be sure to tell your dialysis clinic that you’re applying for Medicare and other help so they know you’re making an effort to get coverage for their charges.

NOTE: If you signed up for Part A (free) and didn’t sign up for Part B, you may have to wait to sign up for Part B next January through March and your Medicare Part B won’t take effect until July 1. In this case, you may want to talk with the insurance department about whether you can use HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) protections to get other health insurance using your prior coverage to meet any waiting period for your kidney failure which is a pre-existing condition.