Blue Cross and BAHA

[Lamsue23]

Thanks for your reply, this might make my decision based on insurance, (I Think).   Will Medicare pay for the AN surgery or a certain percentage?

Sue/NH

[krbonner]

Sue,

Are you asking about Medicare coverage for the surgery to remove the tumor, or for the surgery to implant a BAHA device?  I'm getting confused...  (not too hard to do these days!)

Katie

[Boppie]

I believe Medicare will cover necessary surgeries and hospital costs.  There are deductibles but they are not high.  It is just the hearing aids they don't cover at all.

[Raydean]

Medicare Hospital deductible is $900. per year.(2007) This comes off of the first hospitalization.  Additional hospitalizations for the same calender year would fall under the $900.  They also have allowed charges for different things., so if you exceed the allowed amount you may be billed more. 

It's important that when you go on Medicare that you purchase the part B.  This covers the hospital and such that Part A does not cover.  You  can additionally purchase a Medicare supplement Insurance that will help  fill in the gaps that Medicare doesn't pay.   A trusted insurance agent can assist you, or check with AARP. 

Best to you
raydean

[Boppie]

I didn't look up the deductibles.  That is a chunk out of the pocketbook, isn't it?

[Lamsue23]

Thanks all for this info, I'm very concerned about all the cost especially since I'm reaching retirement age.  I understand that AARP has the best supplemented insurance.

  Has anyone considered these insurances that for a minimal amount per month and also has a NO pre-existing clause would pay you so much while you're in the hospital and if you continue your existing treatment from the hospital to home they also pay so much a day.  It's for you to do whatever you want, it would certainly pay for the added out-of -pocket money that we have to dish out for deductibles or hearing aids that insurances don't pay.  The reason that I mention this is my daughter who has Cystic Fibrosis we got her some of those insurances and she collects on them everytime she goes in the hospital and it helps her to pay additional expenses. The only drawback is paper work.  You have to keep track and submit it to them.  But it's worth the hassle for the extra money.

The first time I was asking if Medicare pays for surgery etc......Thanks you for some clarification on that.

Sue/NH

[leapyrtwins]

Does your insurance company know what a BAHA is?  The only reason I ask is that mine had no idea what I was referring to.  When it came down to it I asked them if they were familiar with Cochlear implants and if they cover them.  It turns out they do and based on that, they tell me that they will cover the BAHA also.  I plan on double checking with them prior to my surgery (tentatively scheduled for early 2008) just to make sure they really will cover the entire cost of the BAHA.

[leapyrtwins]

Great suggestion, Bruce.

Thanks,

Jan

[Nancy T]

Boppie, are you sure Medicare won't pay for BAHA? I thought they did--starting at the beginning of 2006? They changed their policy.

I THINK. I am not sure about that, but whoever's interested might check it out. I do remember an audiologist I spoke with about the BAHA in summer 2005 saying that Medicare was going to start covering it after the first of the year and then I had a better chance that my insurance would, too.

Later I saw that indeed Medicare does pay for it (I THINK)--they changed the policy--but my insurance (Blue Cross) still doesn't.

Nancy T.

[leapyrtwins]

I'm sure I read somewhere that Medicare covers the BAHA and I think it's the surgery as well as the device.  I'm not 100% certain about this, though.

[Boppie]

You have a good point...The information I got in July 2007 about BAHA came from my audiologist during a discussion on Medicare and hearing aids, but he hasn't seen another AN patient besides me.  Specifically, he said Medicare wouldn't cover the BAHA.  But the surgery for the post implant is another story I think, as that would be covered by Medicare in any necessary surgery.  I'd sure get the BAHA implant at the same time as the surgery.  A surgeon sets this up at the same time and surely gives credence to the idea of necessity; so, denial of benefits would be more difficult.

I googled the two words BAHA Medicare and came up with the answer about the device.  Check it out. BAHA is not in the same category as a hearing aid, that is the exception.  I'd imagine some other aid developers will get into this also, in future.

I think it is too bad that regular hearing aids are not allowed for serious hearing loss.  Too many older people lose out on life from poor hearing.