There is a puzzling change going on with the United States health care system that is in place to help the elderly afford the medical care they need. These senior citizens pay for their health care coverage. The coverage is separated into different "parts," and the seniors have to pay for each part. That means they pay a Medicare Part A premium for certain services, a Medicare Part D premium for prescription drug coverage, and other premiums for other parts.
In the latest turn of events, Medicare has decided that some senior citizens who are on hospice care must prove that the drugs they need aren't covered under the hospice program. This means that although these senior citizens are paying their premiums, they might be denied the medications they need for the care.
A policy went into effect on May 1 that will deny payment of medications for Medicare Part D until it is determined if the medication is part of hospice coverage. This could potentially deny patients medications that they need immediately. The problem with this is that one the medication coverage is denied, the patient has to get the doctors involved to appeal the decision, which can take time.
