11 months from now I will be on Medicare. April 2017. My aim is to write a monthly blogpost about what I am learning as I get closer to that date. Last month I wrote a general overview of my Medicare thoughts. This month I want to talk about testing supplies and Medicare’s national mail-order program for diabetes testing supplies.

Background:  In July 2013 Medicare instituted a national mail-order program for diabetes testing supplies that requires all beneficiaries to use a Medicare-contracted supplier for home-delivery of testing supplies. (Note: this applies to original Medicare only and not to Advantage plans. Also note that it is possible to buy testing supplies locally instead of through the mail-order program.) Part of the Competitive Bidding Program (CBP), this program was launched in nine test markets in 2011. According to a 2012 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) update report:

 “CMS real-time claims monitoring has found no disruption in access to needed supplies for Medicare beneficiaries. Moreover, there have been no negative health care consequences to beneficiaries as a result of competitive bidding.”

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) challenged the safety monitoring methods used by CMS and questioned whether beneficiaries were receiving supplies on time and whether adverse health outcomes were resulting from problems accessing testing supplies. Adding to the GAO analysis, the National Minority Quality Forum worked with leading endocrinologists to analyze the data and released an online report in March, 2016 followed by a print article in Diabetes Care, the professional journal of the American Diabetes Association. This analysis indicated that:

“the Competitive Bidding Program disrupted beneficiaries’ ability to access diabetes testing supplies, and this disruption was associated with an increase in mortality, higher hospitalization rates and inpatient costs.”

This article received a lot of attention in the diabetes online community and prompted an initiative by DPAC (Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition) urging Americans to contact their elected representatives to #SuspendBidding. Click here to learn more about DPAC’s analysis of the problem and to contact your representatives.

My Perspective:  Rather than stress about my ability to get high-quality testing supplies once I get to Medicare, I decided to contact some experts: people I know with Type 1 diabetes who are on Medicare. I communicated with eleven seniors by email, phone, and/or in person. Some live in Minnesota and others in Arizona.

In general each T1 senior is getting diabetes testing supplies on a timely basis and is able to get their brand-of-choice. Several people buy test strips at local Medicare-approved pharmacies while others purchase them through mail-order Medicare suppliers. Although their Medicare experiences are not without occasional glitches, most of my contacts are satisfied with their ability to obtain testing supplies through Medicare.

Some of the comments I received are:

“It is not as fretful as you may think although some resources are better than others. Type 2’s have a harder time. At the beginning of your Medicare enrollment there may be some stumbling blocks until the required documentation is submitted appropriately by each member of your health care team”

“I am getting all the supplies I need of my choice, excluding CGM.”

“Once I couldn’t get the test strips I use, but it was a temporary thing. They were not able to get them from the supplier…. I get my supplies in a timely matter.”

“I have been on Medicare (with a supplement) for the last 8 years. I haven’t had any trouble with getting pump supplies or strips. My doctor is very cooperative and prescribes what I need.”

“I have never had a problem getting my test strips.”

But all is not perfect. One friend was recently forced to change strip brands, but she was able to select another “name-brand” meter and strip. Another friend has continued to work past age 65 in order to continue receiving CGM coverage.

A few more comments:

“They limit me to 5/day because that’s all I have shown on my logs…. I don’t think my endo has been any help at all.”

“I haven’t had any trouble with Medicare, but I have read about many others who have had trouble.”

“I find the whole medical insurance business so confusing. I have stacks of documents that come in the mail that make no sense.”

Summary:  I am encouraged by the feedback I received from my Medicare T1 friends. At the same time I know that these seniors are a unique subset of Medicare beneficiaries with Type 1 diabetes. They are empowered, well-educated, and reasonably financially-secure. Many of them have had Type 1 for more than 50 years and are used to navigating the US healthcare system to fight for what they need.

I plan to enter Medicare with a stockpile of testing supplies and know that I will need to get my ducks in a row to have the transition go smoothly. I need to remember that there will be bumps in the road along with a definite learning curve. I understand that new rounds of competitive bidding will continue to take place and just because things are fine today doesn’t mean that they will be fine tomorrow.

If you are on Medicare, I’d be interested in hearing about your experiences obtaining testing supplies and any advice you might have navigating Medicare. I have a lot to learn for sure.