Reply To: CIDP and Medicare

Part D coverage for treatments such as IVIg is not a good choice due to expense. Part B provides the lowest cost coverage for these treatments, and one does not need a Medigap/Supplement plan (although they will pay in addition to original Medicare coverage).

Michigan offers various Medicare plans: Medicare advantage plans, PPO, HMO, and 10 types of Supplement plans. Not all plans are alike from a coverage and cost standpoint and one must do their homework to pick the best for their situation. For my situation in California, I went with orig Medicare + supplement N + a separate Part D. This provided the optimum coverage for me at the lowest annual cost.

If you were insured by Blue Cross/Blue Shield in North Carolina, here is the 2017 explanation of coverage for IVIg and SCIg (in home or at infusion centers):
https://www.bcbsnc.com/assets/services/public/pdfs/bluemedicare/medicalpolicy/ivig.pdf

Virtually all Medicare insurers have coverage policies governing IVIg treatments under Part B. Then it’s a matter of using the correct ICD-10 codes (see my earlier post) to request coverage.