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Hi All~~

Several months ago, I posted an opinion email about people with celiac or
gluten sensitivity needing financial help...esp. those who are on Medicaid
or Medicare. I received only two responses to my opinion post, both from
people on Medicare.

Since then, I've talked to several people who have been quite helpful in
pointing me in the right direction if Medicaid or Medicare recipients are
to receive assistance with GF food costs.

First, this is a state issue and further, it is a state insurance issue. I
accompanied a friend to our local library so that she could get help
signing up for ObamaCare (or the ACA), and ended up speaking at length with
one of our state insurance department's ombudsmen. I mentioned to her that
I had written a letter (a real pen and paper letter) to Secretary Sebelius.
I asked the Secretary to please do what she could to include assistance for
the cost of GF food for  Medicaid/Medicare recipients in the Affordable
Care Act. The insurance ombudsman told me that any assistance would come
from insurance companies by way of their insurance plans. Secondly,
insurance companies don't typically provide coverage for any illness that
isn't covered by CMS (i.e. Medicare), and sometimes, not even then.

A week or so later, I rec'd a call from Secretary Sebelius's office. The
person I talked with told me that for those people on Medicaid, they need
to apply for food assistance, if it's available in their state. If SNAP is
not available in their state, Medicaid recipients should keep record of all
OTC drugs they buy and ask a physician to give them a prescription for
them. They should also keep a record of mileage to and from medical
appointments. Document, document, document. Those records and receipts can
be turned in to Medicaid and possibly be reimbursed for those costs.

Please see Part 2 of this post...Ayn in Kansas

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