Still got some of that Valentine’s Day chocolate lying around? Or cleverly stashed away where the others won’t find it? I thought so. PLEASE don’t tell me that you’ve still got Halloween leftovers leftover? Care to hazard a guess about how I knew that?
Anyway, try answering a few questions (answer them silently, to yourself; otherwise, you’ll frighten the pets):
Do you have diabetes?
Do you think you might?
Do you know and like anybody who does have diabetes?
Are you on Medicare?
Are you going to be on Medicare soon?
Do you know and like anybody who has diabetes and is on Medicare?
If you answered “No!” to all of the above, I can only say, “WOW!” and refer you back to the bio-bubble in which you, apparently, reside, because the rest of this is going to bore you out of your I-don’t-know-anybody-and-never-go-anywhere mind. The rest of us, who answered “Yes” to one or more of the above, might want to stick around.
One could write a book about what Medicare does and doesn’t cover; in fact, a number of people have! In fact, the manuals that do exist on what Medicare covers (and how) generally need to be transported with farm equipment, which explains why I don’t usually get too deep into it – I don’t own a tractor. But given the demographics of our area and the fact that I know a lot of people who do have diabetes and are on Medicare (or soon will be), I want to give you a heads-up about something that you may not know.
I’m not going to try to scare you into paying attention with all kinds of deadly and/or debilitating statistics – If you live in this world, you already know. And I’m not going to go on about how diabetes is a “chronic disease” that requires a lot of SELF-management and how chronic diseases account for 64-ish% of healthcare costs in the good ‘ole US of A and blah blah blah – You probably already know or very likely, don’t particularly care. What you do care about is your life and how much you do or don’t enjoy it and how much you can or can’t do and how long you might like it to go on. I get it – Me, too.
And you likely already know that Medicare Part B (+ whatever Supplement plan you have, if you have one) covers things like blood glucose monitors and test strips and lancets and lancet devices and insulin and insulin pumps, depending. You may even know that Part B will cover custom-molded or depth-inlay shoes, and accompanying inserts and what-not, plus the services of a pro (and believe me, you want a “pro” for this, not just any old anybody who waves shoes at you) to fit them and make them work and monitor what’s happening, etc – Remember, your feet do a LOT more than just keep the ends of your legs from fraying!
You may know a lot of stuff about what Medicare will cover for folks with diabetes, but did you know that it also covers diabetes self-management training? Yes! You can actually get training on how to get on top of this sucker so you can get on with your life! Your doctor (or somebody a lot like a doctor) has to prescribe it, of course, but a smart patient might ask about it if the doc doesn’t mention it – And, Yes: This training is available around here.
Now, try this one, which it’s taken me this long to finally get to: Did you know that Medicare will also cover “medical nutrition therapy?” Yes! And what does that mean? Well, it means that you’ll be able to sit down with a registered dietician (or somebody a lot like one) and get an initial assessment plus 1-on-1 counseling (what to eat, what not to eat, how to follow an individualized meal plan, etc), help with managing “lifestyle factors” (you know what that means as well as I do), and follow-up visits and whatever else. Think “teacher” and think “coach.”
You know what else tends to happen when you’re getting this teaching and coaching? You tend to find out about other services around to help you manage this diabetes thing – Services and resources and people that you likely wouldn’t know about unless somebody who cared took the time to tell you.
That, friends and neighbors, is a “deal!”
Well, OF COURSE you need a prescription! And if your doc doesn’t mention it, then you mention it! Why wouldn’t we take all the help we can get in order to handle this thing? Because we want to pretend that we don’t really have it and bad things won’t really happen, so we can go home and pull that candy-stash out of the nightstand drawer? Good luck with that.
If you don’t particularly like healthcare or health insurance, then get a handle on handling this yourself, so you can use a lot less of both. And fine! DON’T take my word for it! Go to: https://www.cms.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/SE0738.pdf and read it for yourself.
Don’t know if you’ll remember all this and you don’t have a tractor, either? OK, then cut this out and take it with you to your physician or whoever you’re seeing about this diabetes thing – They’ll get it, because they’re on your side. The operative phrases are “nutrition therapy” and “self-management training.”
Look: “Help” only helps if it helps – This will help.
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