Will Medicare cover emergency services that I receive while traveling? ⚕️ 🏥

The Medicare Lady

Celebrating 10 years as a Medicare Specialist, October 2018

Medicare Made Simple, LLC

Theresa Cangemi CSA, CLTC

Office: 315-676-4933

Fax: 866-476-1211

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Greetings!

In this Newsletter, I will be sharing news about how Medicare covers emergency services that you receive while traveling.

In the Health Corner, I am sharing some facts about dangers of Coumarin found in vanilla, cinnamon, and the medication warfarin.

Keep reading!

Theresa Cangemi CSA, CLTC

"The Medicare Lady"

Insurance Corner

Will Medicare cover emergency services that I receive while traveling?

Both Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans cover emergency or urgently needed services that you receive anywhere in the United States or its territories.

If you have a Medicare Advantage Plan, be aware that if you are receiving emergency or urgently needed services:

Your plan cannot require you to see an in-network provider
You do not need a referral
There are limits on how much your plan can bill you if you receive emergency care while out of your plan’s network
Your plan must cover medically necessary follow-up care related to the medical emergency if delaying care would endanger your health
You have the right to appeal if your plan does not cover your care

If your condition was not an emergency but appeared to be an emergency at the time, Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage must still cover your care. For example, let’s say you have chest pain that you think may be a heart attack. If you go to the emergency room and doctors discover that your pain is heartburn, your care should still be covered because the situation appeared to be an emergency.

If your Medicare Advantage Plan denies coverage of an emergency or urgently needed service because you saw an out-of-network provider or failed to get a referral or prior authorization, you should appeal their denial. You should ask your doctor to provide medical documentation that the services you needed were emergency or urgently needed services. If you need assistance appealing the denial contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP).

Medicare generally does not cover medical care that you receive while traveling outside the U.S. and its territories. However, Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage Plans must cover care you receive outside the U.S. in certain circumstances:

Medicare will pay for emergency services in Canada if you are traveling a direct route, without unreasonable delay, between Alaska and another state, and the closest hospital that can treat you is in Canada.
Medicare will pay for medical care you get on a cruise ship if you get the care while the ship is in U.S. territorial waters. This means that the ship is in a U.S. port or within six hours of arrival or departure from a U.S. port.
In limited situations, Medicare may pay for non-emergency inpatient services in a foreign hospital (and any connected provider and ambulance costs). Your care is covered if the hospital is closer to your residence than the nearest available U.S. hospital. This may happen if, for example, you live near the border of Canada or Mexico.
Some Medigap policies provide coverage for travel abroad. Medigap plans C through G, M, and N cover 80% of the cost of emergency care abroad. Check with your policy for specific coverage rules.

Medicare Advantage Plans may also cover emergency care abroad. Contact your plan for more information about its costs and coverage rules.

Health Corner

The Dangers of Coumarin found in vanilla, cinnamon, and the medication warfarin

I use vanilla enough and frequently. Mom and I bought few bottles of vanilla from the Dominican Republic (DR). I just finished the last one now and went online to order more. Then the fun begins. I believe the vanilla I have is pure vanilla as I was told when I was there but there is no info on the bottle, of course.

Apparently imitation vanillas imported from countries like Mexico, Nicaragua, the DR, Canada contain the ingredient Coumarin (a chemical compound and also referred to as the Tonka bean) It also depends on the company producing it if it contains the compound. Generally speaking the compound added to vanilla will come from the region of these countries.

The USDA has banned Coumarin for human consumption since the 50's due to liver toxicity and because it also causes tumors and liver cancer in rodents. It has been shown that humans process this chemical a little differently due to its chemical structure, but it still has toxicity consequences to humans.

The Germans have established a tolerable daily intake level while OSHA has not put that chemical on our chemical regulation list.

Coumarin occurs naturally in some edible plants such as strawberries, apricots and cherries. It is widely used in the fragrance industry and in fabric conditioners due to the sweet smell.

So although it is banned in food it is allowed in alcohol, some pipe tobaccos and has limited approval for few medical uses (in the US).

Bottom line, spend the money and try to only purchase pure vanilla and forgo the imitation vanilla. If you have imitation vanilla (with Coumarin), apparent use is for rat poison. Here are some articles for your review:

Learn More About Coumarin

Coumarin & Liver Damage

Coumarin: Toxicity & Effects

* This article is for information purposes only. I don’t recommend, support, or diagnose any featured writer or article. I am not a doctor.

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