Bob Krasen

I am a type 1 diabetic. Our Medicare Advantage Plan is an entity of a non-profit hospital conglomerate and supposed to be non-profit as well. However, I have caught them “upcoding my health care records”; with stuff that is extraneous. I told the doc which ones I wanted removed. They did, but I have to keep watching.A few years ago, my insulin costs were sending me into the “donut hole”; in July. I asked my ENDO about it, and she said, “You should be getting your insulin through Part B of Medicare because you have a pump”; At first the insurer customer services at CVS Caremark said they couldn’t do that, but I insisted and called the Pharmacy Manager at the Medicare Advantage office. He was able to help, and ever since, I have at least stayed out of the “doughnut hole”; even though I am paying about the same for insulin as before, about $57 per vial. Too bad Congress didn’t vote to support the insulin cap of $35 per month. I guess too few of them have kids who face a lifetime dependency on insulin. Medicare for All (M4A) would finally solve the problem by paying 100% of necessary drug costs. CMS would be able to negotiate drug prices, as the VA has done since 1930, so M4A would save money.