Heart attack 9 days before Part B approval date!

[mikenheidi]

My husband applied for Part B late December 2018. We received his Medicare card with the coverage start date of February 1, 2019. On January 19 he had a heart attack. Medicare refused to cover the hospital and doctor bills do we have any recourse in this situa

 

[MBSC]

I am so sorry to hear this. I hope he is on the road to a full recovery. The insurance he had in January will cover the expenses incurred in that month, subject to the plan's calendar year deductible and coinsurance. Any follow-up care received in February and later, such as physical therapy rehab, should be billed to Medicare. The Medicare deductible ($185 for Part B in 2019) and coinsurance will apply to that follow-up care.

If he purchased a separate Medicare supplement (Medigap) plan, it will help pay some of the Medicare cost sharing expenses. I wish you both the best.

This Medicare website details when Medicare starts based on the application date: https://www.medicare.gov/sign-up-change-plans/how-do-i-get-parts-a-b/when-will-my-coverage-start