found out why my insurance won't cover syringes for B12

In Ohio, if you have Medicare part D, Medicaid will not pay for any prescriptions.  If it's a drug that isn't covered on my Part D plan, for instance, I either have to pay for it myself or do without.  Now, before I had Medicare, Medicaid paid for my prescriptions.  But once you qualify for Medicare, they won't.  Medicaid rules are different in every state, though.

The only times I meet my spend down any more is if I am hospitalized or have surgery or something.  Like, I met it when I had my gallbladder removed.  But in a normal month, my out of pocket expenses are less than the amount of my spend down. 

Kelly

Iguess I explained it wrong.  The only prescriptions that medicaid covers are my vitamin B12 and in the past vitamin D (when I took the prescription type) - medicare doesn't pay for vitamins.  By having both medicare D and medicaid, it qualifies me for what they call extra help and lowers my copays on prescriptions, making my copays $3.30 for brand names and $1.10 for generic and no deductible and no monthly fee.  I know the B12 is covered by Medicaid because the copay is $1.00 not $1.10 - medicaids copays are only $1.00.  Without the medicaid, my prescription would be $310 deductible, $31.60 a month, copays of $5-$95 or 25% coinssurance until payments reach $2830, then I would have to out of pocket until I reach $4550, then I would pay 5% for the rest of the year.  I have a lot of meds, this would cost me a fortune, 

My Empire BC/BS lowers my spendown from $400 to $218, so that helps and I get the 20% coverage on all my medical bills from empire.  I don't think I could come up with $750 though.

Do you know that if you get a supplemental plan like BC/BS or AARP, you can deduct the premium from your spenddown?  They actually do it for you and lower the amount in there calculations and give you a lower number.  Granted the supplementals are expensive but if you go to the doctors alot and get alot of blood test like we do, it is all covered at 100%.  Hospitalizations are covered at 100%.  I didn't pay anything for my surgery except for the psych consult because she didnt' take insurance and I didnt' find that out until after the visit was over.  If I knew ahead of time, I would have gone to someone who did.