I would like to hear from anyone who is a miitary retiree who is on medicare with "Tricare for Life" as his/her supplemental.

Last spring I used O2 for the 1st time for my CH. Early on, I was told that Medicare would not cover O2 for CHs but that TFL would. I got the O2 and used it for about a month (I was nearing the end of a cycle when I got it). The problem has been the billing. The company that provided the O2 refused to send the bill thru medicare, or directly to TFL, because they were operating under the assumption that Medicare policy would not provide the O2 so it was a waste for them to bill either of those agencies. They billed me and and I paid it. In this case, the amount is only over $100.00, and it sounds like I'm responsible for the 1st $150.00 anyway, but there is still a small part of the bill in the chain for which I'm awaiting an EOB.

The reason I ask is that I have an appointment with my Neuro this week. I think this med supply co. has a virtual monopoly in my area (Seacoast New Hampshire). This Med supply co. gave me good service as far as the O2 is concerned but their billing has left me puzzled. They even charged me a finance charge because I didn't pay within 30 days ?

If anyone has any good info on this, please respond by email because I do not visit this site very often when I'm not in cycle.
email:raymondd938@gmail.com.

If anyone living in the NH seacoast knows of other providers of O2 than Keene Medical Supply, please let me know.

Oldred82

Hi Tachead:

Thanks for the form. It could be useful. The thing that puzzles me about the billing problem is  the way it was handled. It seems like I must be the 1st case of a Medicare patient who is retired from the military, and has Tricare For Life as secondary, who suffers from these CHs. Even if that were so, in my area, this medical supply company must get 90% of it's business from Medicare, so you would think they would know that they must bill them before they bill the patient. ?????????????

I'm still waiting for the last EOB from either Medicare or TFL. They have told me that it is a covered service. I would like to know the correct procedure because I will probably want more O2 when these headaches come back. Even with a regulator allowing only 6 to 9 LPM the O2 helped. I think I was near the end of that cycle by the time I got the O2.

Over the years I have been my worst enemy in one sense. When I got into a cycle, I couldn't get an appointment and by the time I could get an appointment, I didn't have the headaches so I didn't pursue it. I also have a family Doctor who thought 2 aspirin was the answer ???????????????

I've also been the "victim" of EENT Doctors who operated for a deviated septum when they should have known that there is little or no connection between a deviated septum and CHs. I also had another EENT guy operate on my sinus for loss of the sense of smell. That didn't do any good either ??????????????

Easy money, "Maybe" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oldred82

Thanks for the suggestion Tachead but it wouldn't work for me. I'm not disabled so I'd be at the bottom. Tricare for Life told me it was a covered service. I'm just trying to find out how to process the bills. All of my experiences over the last 17 years of being on Medicare, and the last 10 with Tricare for Life, have been without problems. Their systems work like clockwork, at least that has been my experience so far.

RED (Oldred82)

I have found insurance companies to be such a pain in the A-- that I just pay for the oxygen myself.  I get an E tank for $10 at Lincare.  It is affordable to get several of these a month and not deal with the damned insurance.

Who knows, Red.  I had a doctor once that completely stopped taking insurance...you had to pay him then file the paperwork yourself to be reimbursed.  He said that the insurance companies have got so bad that it was taking him forever to get paid and, even when or if they finally paid, they were constantly under-paying.  he was a great doctor and, unfortunately because of his decision, wound up going out of business.

It could be the same for the business you dealt with.  I know that more and more of the medical community is refusing to accept Tricare because of their underpaying.  Great news for us vets, huh?