March 09 Marci's Medicare Answers

Dear Marci, I recently had a kidney transplant. My doctor said I will need diet counseling so that I can learn to eat the right foods. Does Medicare cover this counseling? -Tonya Dear Tonya, Medical nutritional therapy, which may include diet counseling, is designed to help you learn to eat right so you can better manage your illness. With a doctor's referral, Medicare will cover 80 percent of the cost of medical nutritional therapy for people with diabetes, chronic renal disease, or who are post-kidney transplant patients, after they have met their annual Part B deductible. Medicare will generally cover three hours of medical nutritional therapy for the first year and two hours every year thereafter, although it will cover more hours if your doctor says you need them. In order to have Medicare cover these therapy sessions, you must get these services from a registered dietitian or other qualified nutrition professional. Talk to your doctor if you think you qualify for this benefit. \ Marci Dear Marci, Can I have both Medicare and VA (Veterans Affairs) benefits? John Dear John, Yes, you can have both, but Medicare and VA benefits do not work together. To receive VA benefits, you must get care at a VA facility. Medicare does not pay for any care provided at a VA facility. Many veterans use their VA health benefits to get coverage for services not covered by Medicare. For example, some veterans use VA services to obtain prescription drugs that are excluded from Medicare drug coverage (benzodiazepines and barbiturates, for example), but rely on Medicare for their other prescriptions and medical care. _Marci= Dear Marci, I have health insurance coverage through my spouse's current job. Which is my primary insurer: Medicare or the employer insurance? Mary Beth Dear Mary Beth, If you are 65 or older and you have health insurance coverage through your or your spouse's current job with an employer that has 20 or more employees, your employer coverage is primary. If you are under 65 and have a disability or are diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) and you have health insurance coverage through your or your family member's current job with an employer that has 100 or more employees, your employer coverage is primary. Marci Marci's Medicare Answers is a service of the Medicare Rights Center (www.medicarerights.org), the nation's largest independent source of information and assistance for people with Medicare. To speak with a counselor, call (800) 333-4114. To subscribe to "Dear Marci," MRC's free educational e-newsletter, simply e-mail dearmarci@medicarerights.org. To learn more about the services that Medicare will cover and how to change plans, log on to Medicare Interactive Counselor at the Medicare Rights Center's website at www.medicareinteractive.org.