Beginning July, 2013, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is starting a national mail order program for diabetic testing supplies. If you have Original Medicare (not a Medicare Advantage plan), you should have received a letter back in May where Medicare describes this program and what you can expect.
In short, Medicare will implement a national mail-order program in all 50 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa – and you will need to use a Medicare national mail-order contract supplier in order for Medicare to pay for any diabetic testing supplies delivered to your home.
Alternatively, if you are not interested in using the mail-order option, you can also go to any locally contracted Medicare store to get your diabetic testing supplies.
The cost of diabetic supplies should be the same using either the mail-order home delivery option or purchasing your supplies from a local store that accepts Medicare-approved amounts as payment in full.
However, local stores that do not accept Medicare-approved amounts or assignment may charge you more than 20% coinsurance and any unmet deductible. So if you are not sure about the store, be sure to ask about pricing before making your purchase.
You can find a list of mail-order Medicare contract suppliers by visiting: Medicare.gov/supplier. Once on the site, enter your ZIP code and select “Mail-Order Diabetic Supplies” to see a list of mail-order Medicare-contract suppliers.
In addition, you can call Medicare at 1-800-633-4227 (TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048) for assistance.
Please note, if you are a Member of a 2013 Medicare Advantage plans, your Medicare plan should notify you if there are any changes in your suppliers.
You can read more about the coverage of your diabetic supplies in our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
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I purchased test strips and other diabetic supplies. Should my Medicare Part D plan reimburse me for these supplies?"