Medicare is a federally funded program that covers certain health care expenses for people older than age 65. Medicare benefits are divided into:

Part A -- Hospitalization Insurance: No monthly premiums are paid.
Part B -- Supplemental Medical Insurance: An optional program with a monthly premium that most Medicare recipients participate in.

Diabetes Supplies May Be Covered Under Medicare Part B
Under federal law, Medicare now covers part of the cost of diabetes supplies for all people with diabetes who participate in Medicare Part B coverage. To qualify, your health care provider must prescribe blood sugar monitoring and document the frequency of testing.

Here are some things you should know about your Medicare coverage:

1. Deductibles and co-pays apply. After you pay your annual Medicare Part B deductible, Medicare will reimburse you for 80% of your supplies. The amount of reimbursement still will depend upon what price Medicare has established for the supplies.
2. Generally, Medicare limits how many test strips and lancets are covered each month.
   • People who take insulin: 100 test strips and lancets are covered every month.
   • People who don't take insulin: 100 test strips and lancets are covered every three months.

If your health care provider documents a medical reason why you need to test more often, Medicare may pay for more supplies.

To contact Medicare, call (800) MEDICARE [(800) 633-4227] or visit www.medicare.gov.