If I have diabetes and I am eligible, why should I buy Medicare Part B?

Part B helps to pay for healthcare provider services, ambulance services, diagnostic tests, outpatient hospital services, outpatient physical therapy, speech pathology services, home health services, and medical equipment and supplies.

It is critical for people with diabetes to purchase Medicare Part B. You can get Part B by paying a monthly fee. Part B also has deductibles and coinsurance amounts that you pay.

Part B and Diabetes Screening, Care, Equipment, and Supplies

Medicare Part B coverage includes:

• Diabetes screening test per 12-month period for beneficiaries with identified risk factors (for the specific risk factors, go to www.cms.gov/DiabetesScreening).
• Blood glucose meters, lancets, test strips, and other supplies for the meter, whether you are on insulin or not.
• Insulin pumps and supplies (including insulin) for people who meet certain qualifications.
• Diabetes self-management training and medical nutrition therapy.
• Medicare will help pay for annual podiatry checkups, therapeutic footwear and shoe inserts, checks for diabetic retinopathy, and kidney dialysis.

Your healthcare provider must certify in writing that you need all of these items to manage your diabetes, that is, that they are “medically necessary.” Make copies of your provider’s written statement. Give a copy of it to your pharmacist each time you purchase these supplies so that it can be submitted along with your Medicare claim.

For more information on Medicare, call the Medicare hotline at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). For a more detailed explanation of Med­icare, ask for a free copy of the Medicare & You handbook and check out the Medicare Plan Finder at www.medicare.gov.