Subject: RE: medicare funding for AAC devices
From: Mike Smith (MikeS@wpas-rights.org)
Date: Thu Feb 15 2001 - 11:51:38 PST
Those interested in Medicare funding for AAC devices should review this
summary by Lew Golinker - we're definitely not out of the woods yet. Kurt's
suggestion only makes sense, for Medicaid to pay and seek Medicare
reimbursement. In difficult cases, the vendors will not order, hoping but
not knowing whether Medicare might pay.
The article link is:
http://www.hcfa.gov/coverage/8b3-s.htm
Michael J. Smith
Staff Attorney
Washington Protection & Advocacy System
180 West Dayton, Suite 102
Edmonds, WA 98020
Voice: 1-800-562-2702 (toll-free) or 425-776-1199
TDD: 1-800-905-0209 (toll-free) or 425-776-1648
FAX: 425-776-0601
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> WPAS: a private, non-profit organization protecting and advocating for the
> rights of people with disabilities in Washington since 1977.
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Patricia Dowden [SMTP:dowden@u.washington.edu]
> Sent: Thursday, October 26, 2000 3:03 PM
> To: Statewide forum on assistive-technology issues
> Subject: Re: medicare funding for AAC devices
>
> Kurt (et al):
> Thanks for your posting. This is a very important point, I think!
>
> Pat
>
>
> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> Patricia Dowden, Ph.D., CCC-Sp <dowden@u.washington.edu>
> Clinical Assistant Professor
> Dep't of Speech & Hearing Sciences
> Box 354875
> University of Washington
> Seattle, WA 98195
>
> Phone: 206/616-6217
> Fax: 206/543-1093
>
> On Thu, 26 Oct 2000, Kurt Johnson wrote:
>
> > i wanted to cheer Pat Dowden's announcement that hcfa has approved
> > augmentative and alternative communication devices as durable medical
> > equipment. while this is very good news and means that medicare is a
> > potential funding source for AAC devices, we must remember that medicare
> > funding for durable medical equipment is always a challenge. medicare
> > will not give advance determination of what it will pay for. this puts
> > vendors in a really difficult position...should the provide (or repair)
> a
> > device and then wait to see whether medicare decides it is covered?
> what
> > if medicare decides it isn't covered? then will the vendor try and
> > retrieve the device? etc.
> >
> > many people on medicare also are eligible for medicaid. medicaid in our
> > state is actually quite a good source of funding for dme, but when
> people
> > are dual eligible, medicare is the first payor. thus someone may try to
> > get dme which we are fairly certain medicaid will pay for, but first
> > medicare must decide...this can take quite a while. this is the problem
> > alan king faced with his wheel chair...a problem posted and discussed
> > here.
> >
> > we are recommending changes in our state so that for people who are dual
> > eligible, medicaid would pay for dme and then recover the cost from
> > medicare if medicare allowed the cost. this would remove a major
> funding
> > barrier to the acquition of appropriate technology for people with
> > disabilities.
> >
> > Kurt L. Johnson, Ph.D.
> > Dept. of Rehabilitation Medicine
> > Box 356490
> > University of Washington
> > (206)543-3677
> > (206)543-4779 FAX
> >
> >
This archive was generated by hypermail 2a24 : Thu Feb 15 2001 - 11:51:50 PST