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How Medicare Covers
Diabetes
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SENIOR LIVING
Dear Savvy Senior,
How well does Medicare cover
diabetes? I’m 66 years old and was
recently told by my doctor that I have
pre-diabetes. If it progresses to full-
fledged diabetes what can I expect
from Medicare.
Recently Retired
Dear Recently,
Medicare actually provides a wide
range of coverage to help
beneficiaries who have diabetes, as
well as those who are at risk of
getting it – but they don’t cover
everything. Here’s a breakdown of
what Medicare covers when it comes
to diabetes services and supplies
along with some other tips that can
help you save.
Screenings: If you have pre-
diabetes or some other health
conditions that put you at risk of
getting diabetes – such as high blood
pressure, high cholesterol and
triglycerides, are overweight, or have
a family history of diabetes –
Medicare Part B (medical insurance)
will pay 100 percent of the cost of up
to two diabetes screenings every year.
Doctor’s services: If you’re a
Medicare beneficiary, Medicare will
pay 80 percent of the cost of all
doctor’s office visits that are related
to diabetes. You are responsible for
paying the remaining 20 percent after
you’ve met this year’s $183 (for
2018) Part B deductible.
Prevention program: Just launched
in April, the Medicare Diabetes
Prevention Program provides lifestyle
change programs offered by health
professionals to help you prevent
diabetes. This is available for free to
all Part B beneficiaries who have pre-
diabetes.
Self-management: If you have
diabetes, Medicare covers 80 percent
of the cost of self-management
training to teach you how to
successfully manage your diabetes.
Supplies and medications:
Medicare Part B covers 80 percent of
the cost of glucose monitors, test
strips (100 per month if you use
insulin, or 33 per month if you don’t),
lancets, external insulin pumps and
insulin (if you use a pump), after
you’ve met your deductible.
If, however, you inject insulin with
a syringe, Medicare’s Part D
prescription drug benefit will help
pay your insulin costs and the
supplies needed to inject it – if you
have a plan. Part D plans also cover
most other diabetic medications too.
You’ll need to check your plan for
coverage details.
Nutrition therapy: Medicare will
pick up the entire tab for medical
nutrition therapy, which teaches you
how to adjust your diet so you can
better manage your condition. You’ll
need a doctor’s referral to get this
service.
Foot care: Since foot problems are
common among diabetics, Medicare
covers 80 percent of foot exams
every six months for diabetics with
diabetes-related nerve damage. They
will also help pay for therapeutic
shoes or inserts as long as your
podiatrist prescribes them.
Eye exams: Because diabetes
increases the risks of getting
glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, 80
percent of dilated medical eye exams
are covered each year, but eye
refractions for glasses are not.
For more information, see
“Medicare’s Coverage of Diabetes
Supplies & Services” online booklet
at Medicare.gov/Pubs/pdf/11022-
Medicare-Diabetes-Coverage.pdf.
Other Insurance
If you have a Medicare
supplemental (Medigap) policy, it
may pay some of the costs that
Medicare doesn’t cover. Call your
plan’s benefits administrator for more
information.
Or, if you’re in a Medicare
Advantage plan (like an HMO or
PPO), your plan must give you at
least the same diabetes coverage as
original Medicare does, but it may
have different rules. You’ll need to
check your policy for details.
Financial Assistance
If you’re income is low, and you
can’t afford your Medicare out-of-
pocket costs, you may be able to get
help through Medicare Savings
Programs. To find out if you qualify
or to apply, contact your state
Medicaid program.
Also, find out if you are eligible
for “Extra Help” which helps
Medicare Part D beneficiaries with
their medication expenses. Visit SSA.
gov/prescriptionhelp or call Social
Security (800-772-1213) to learn
more.
Send your senior questions to:
Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443,
Norman, OK 73070, or visit
SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a
contributor to the NBC Today show
and author of “The Savvy Senior”
book.
Where Seniors Can
Get Help With Home
Chores and Small Jobs
Dear Savvy Senior,
What’s the best way to find good,
trustworthy, qualified people who can
help seniors with home chores or
small jobs?
Looking for Mom
Dear Looking,
Getting help at home for any
number of household tasks is a lot
easier than it use to be thanks to a
number of web-based tools that can
quickly and easily connect you and
your mom to a wide variety of
skilled, carefully vetted workers.
Here’s what you should know.
Finding Qualified Help
One of the best ways to find
qualified, reliable, trustworthy people
that can help with home chores and
other small jobs is through referrals
from people you trust. But if your
friends or family don’t have any
recommendations, there are a number
of online companies you can turn to
now like TaskRabbit.com and Takl.
com.
These are on-demand service
companies that can quickly and easily
connect you to skilled workers to
handle a wide variety of household
chores and small jobs, like cleaning
and housekeeping, moving and
packing, lawn and yard cleanup,
handyman tasks, grocery shopping,
running errands, furniture assembly,
picture hanging, closet organizing,
and much more.
TaskRabbit currently has more
than 60,000 Taskers (workers) in 47
U.S. cities, while Takl currently
serves 75 U.S. cities with around
35,000 workers.
All you need to do is download
their app, or go to their website, and
select the service your mom wants
done and set a time when she would
like the worker to show up. The
software then matches your request
and provides you a list of qualified,
feedback rated workers (including
their hourly rate) from which to
choose. Once the job is complete,
payment is done through the
company’s app.
You should also know that all
TaskerRabbit and Takl workers have
to go through a thorough vetting
process before they can join their
respective company including
extensive background checks.
If, however, you can’t find a
skilled worker through TaskRabbit or
Takl, or if they don’t serve your area,
another option is Amazon Home
Services at Amazon.com/services.
Like TaskRabbit and Takl, Amazon
will connect you to qualified workers
that handle dozens of household
chores and other small jobs.
Amazon also screens all workers
through media searches, online
interviews, reference checks, and
background checks. And all experts
need to have licenses and insurance.
To purchase and book a service,
you can either buy a pre-packaged
service with a fixed price (like two
hours of cleaning) or you can submit
a custom request and receive
estimates. When booking, you select
three different dates and time frames
and the pro confirms an appointment.
All payment is done through your
Amazon account.
Need a Tradesman
If your mom primarily needs of a
tradesman like a plumber, electrician,
painter, roofer or carpenter for home
repairs or remodel projects, you
should also check HomeAdvisor.com
and AngiesList.com. Both of these
sites can connect you with
prescreened, customer-rated service
professionals in your area for free.
Senior Specific
Another option you should know
about is AskUmbrella.com, which is
a fee-based membership service for
seniors 60-plus that provides
qualified, vetted workers to do small
jobs in and around the house for only
$16 per hour. Currently available in
New York, they are expanding
nationally over the next year.
Lower-Income Option
If your mom is on a tight budget,
you should also contact her nearby
Area Aging Agency (call 800-677-
1116), who can refer you to services
in her area, if available. For example,
some communities have volunteer
programs that provide chore and
handyman services to help seniors in
need. And some local non-profit’s
offer residential repair services that
offer seniors minor upgrades and
adaptations to their homes.
Send your senior questions to:
Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443,
Norman, OK 73070, or visit
SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a
contributor to the NBC Today show
and author of “The Savvy Senior”
book.