If you felt the medical situation warranted the air ambulance trip, yet Medicare refused to cover the charges, you don’t necessarily have to be disheartened. You can still check a few things and appeal Medicare to cover the air ambulance expenses.
Check Your Paperwork and Medicare Summary Notice (MSN)
Medicare gives you the reason for not covering air ambulance trip and there can be two primary reasons for it:
- The air ambulance company failed to appropriately document your need for air ambulance transport: In a situation like this, contact the doctor or social worker who was involved in mandating the air ambulance transport. Send this information to the organization that handles your medical bills on behalf of Medicare.
- The air ambulance company failed to file appropriate paperwork: You can always ask your air ambulance company to re-file your claim. If this does not yield results, you can then proceed to file an appeal.
If Medicare Still Refuses to Pay, File an Appeal
People who have Medicare have certain rights and one such right is filing an appeal against non-coverage of your air ambulance bills. Here’s a stepwise approach:
Look at MSN and find reason for not covering the air ambulance trip: Apart from the reason, the MSN will also let you know the time by which you need to file the appeal.
- Follow the instructions on MSN to file the appeal against non-coverage of air ambulance trip: It will also contain the address to which you need to send the appeal. You must accompany it with a letter stating why your air ambulance trip must be covered.
- Get in touch with the doctor who suggested air ambulance services: Attach this information to the MSN before sending it to the designated address.
- Keep a copy for yourself: You might need the copy of your appeal as a proof, so make a copy and keep it with you.
You can also get in touch with Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE or visit www.medicare.gov/appeals.
