Medicare launches app to help determine coverage

Do you need to know if a procedure is covered by Medicare? There’s an app for that. Medicare has launched a free app, called “What’s Covered,” that gives beneficiaries a quick way of determining if the program covers a medical item or service.

The app offers information on what is covered under Medicare Parts A and B and provides details on basic costs. It includes a list of covered preventive services. It does not, however, provide information on extra benefits that Medicare Advantage plans may offer that Original Medicare does not, such as certain vision, hearing or dental benefits.

Among questions the app can answer:

• When are mammograms covered?
• Will Medicare help with home health care costs?
• Will Medicare pay for diabetes supplies?
• Can I get a regular cervical cancer screening?
• Will my Medicare benefits cover a service to help me stop smoking?

The app doesn’t offer personalized information. It doesn’t ask details about each user’s specific insurance coverage, so it doesn’t take into account a user’s supplemental insurance, co-insurance and deductibles. It provides another way for Medicare beneficiaries to get the same information that is available online and in the “Medicare & You” handbook, as part of an initiative by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to modernize Medicare and empower beneficiaries.

To get the “What’s Covered” app, go here to https://www.medicare.gov/blog/whats-coveredmobile-app.