Temporary Increase in Mail Order Diabetic Supply Prices for Certain Medicare Beneficiaries

In researching the big change which will affect many, many Medicare beneficiaries who use any kind of durable medical equipment and/or supply effective with July 1, 2013, and any beneficiary who uses mail order diabetic supplies from then forward, I learned that beginning January 1, 2013 that some beneficiaries may see an increase in the price of their mail order diabetic supplies.

This is because Medicare currently has a ”competitive bidding program” for certain items of durable medical equipment and supplies in effect in several areas of the country. (See my posting of October 1, 2010 for full details.) Mail order diabetic supplies were included in this program, but only until the end of December 2012. They will not be included beginning January 1, and this will be true until the expansion of this program goes into effect on July 1, 2013. (As of that date, no matter where you live, beneficiaries in Original Medicare will have to get their mail order diabetic supplies from certain suppliers.) But in the meantime beneficiaries who were covered by the program will likely see an increase in their diabetic supply costs, at least until July 1. The best advice is for you is to shop around to see if you can find a cheaper supplier in the interim.

You should also recall that Medicare has restrictions to protect you from unsolicited telephone calls from suppliers. If you believe a supplier is unduly pressuring you or has pressured you to switch suppliers, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).