September 19, 2008, Newsletter Issue #172: Medicare A Services for Persons with Diabetes.

Tip of the Week

To be eligible for Medicare Part A services, you must be:

* 65 years old
* worked paying into Medicare for at
least 10 years or had a spouse that
paid in

You may also qualify if you are a younger person and are disabled, or have chronic kidney disease - a serious complication of diabetes.

So, you have Medicare Part A services - what do they cover?

Medicare Part A will cover:

* in-patient hospital stays
* critical care access hospitals -
rural areas
* skilled nursing facilities for up to
100 days per calendar year for
qualifying conditions and treatments
* Hospice Care for end-of-life
* Some limited Home Health Services,
usually following a qualifying
hospital stay of at least 3 days for
an approved condition

Medicare Part A does not cover:
* Medicare Part D
* Home care supplies, including
diabetic supplies
* Outpatient physical and occupational
therapy
* Medications to be taken at home

To see if you have Medicare Part A coverage, look on your red, white and blue Medicare Card. If you have Part A, you will see "Hospital (Part A)" printed on the lower left corner of the card.

If you don't have Medicare Part A, you may be able to purchase it by calling your Social Security Office at 1-800-772-1213.

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