Took DH to ER last night and they kept him overnight for observation and to get meds right. Have heard horror stories about Medicare not covering observation. Does anyone have personal experience with this? Any recommendations? Thanks.
Thank you for the prompt replies and best wishes. DH is in because of Afib + RVR. Last night his heartbeat just went bonkers jumping from 130s to 160s sometimes coming down to the 80/90s. He had Afib and had cardioversions and an ablation 5 years ago. Nothing since until last night. Waiting for a call to pick him up as well as from his cardiologist for an appt. We suspect a pacemaker is in his immediate future.
Good to know about Medicare...didn't remember the nuances and of course, my gray matter is not working at its finest at the moment!
And we have a sick cat at home!
Well I think you have a bone to pick with the status of "observation" It seems fairly obvious this should be an admission for a pre existing cardiac problem. I might do a little complaining to the billing/coding department explaining if they care about getting paid they should correct it now.
Hope they have your DH sorted and feeling better soon.
Just talked to DH. I had asked the insurance Q last night and they advised him this morning that everything will be covered under part B. That assumes he doesn't get admitted. The meds are not working and they can't get his heart rate down and stay down. They have no idea what triggered this episode.
I hope your DH recovers soon. Did he eat or drink anything out of the ordinary before this happened? I used to have heart palpitations. The doctors did all these tests and told me it was normal, but I found out from my own reading magnesium might help. I changed my diet and haven't had any palpitations in the past several decades.
Related article from Harvard: "Low magnesium levels are associated with the development of heart rhythm abnormalities, particularly atrial fibrillation. Not all doctors think of this, so it's terrific that yours did." https://www.health.harvard.edu/hear...can-a-low-magnesium-level-cause-an-arrhythmia
Nothing out of the ordinary other than skipping lunch because we were so busy cleaning the house. Got done, had a great 1-1.5 hr phone chat with family and I was getting ready to go out and get some pizza. We both take magnesium and other supplements along with our regular vitamin pill. DH recently recently had blood work done and everything was in the normal range. This is just so out of the blue.
Thank you for the prompt replies and best wishes. DH is in because of Afib + RVR. Last night his heartbeat just went bonkers jumping from 130s to 160s sometimes coming down to the 80/90s. He had Afib and had cardioversions and an ablation 5 years ago. Nothing since until last night. Waiting for a call to pick him up as well as from his cardiologist for an appt. We suspect a pacemaker is in his immediate future.
Good to know about Medicare...didn't remember the nuances and of course, my gray matter is not working at its finest at the moment!
And we have a sick cat at home!
Don't forget to check GoodRx.Now I have to learn about the donut hole. One of his meds has a $302 co-pay...ouch!
Don't forget to check GoodRx.
I recently had a person whose new prescription has a $200 copay on their current Part D plan but it's $40 on GoodRx. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
They do not automatically count toward the Part D (or any other plan) deductible but you can submit the receipts to be manually credited toward the deductible. People tend to save the receipts then submit a whole pile of them at once, so they're called 'shoebox claims'.GoodRX meds do not count towards your Part D deductible to my knowledge...if that matters to someone.
4) Use GoodRx to contribute to your deductible.
If you purchase a medication with a GoodRx coupon and the drug is covered by your insurance, you may be able to submit your receipt to your insurer and count that towards your deductible. That way, you’ll still be able to take advantage of your insurance coverage later.
This applies to almost all types of insurance plans, including those from private insurers, commercial health exchanges, Medicare and Medicaid. You’ll want to contact your individual provider to find out what information they’ll need from you and how to submit it.
Reference: https://www.goodrx.com/blog/ways-to-beat-your-insurance-copay/
When I went into hosp a few years back, was placed under "observation." Got a few pieces of paper indicating that I might be on the hook for much of the stay - if it exceeded (IIRC) 48 hours. About that time, the friendly - yeah, really - hospital financial folks stopped by. Said "Just a formality. Before you get stuck with the bill, we'll either admit you for treatment or send you home. Relax!" I saw no attempt to stick me with anything. If anything, Hosp was trying to insure that I did NOT get stuck with uncovered charges. YMMV