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Super Contributor
Posts: 378
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Dentures and eye glasses for the elderly that can't afford it?


@151949 wrote:

Most advantage plans pay for eye exams but not glasses and for yearly dental exams but not if work needs done, however, MY Medicare and you book says medicare will pay 100% for dentures so he could look into that.


Must be that Medicare Advantage Plan you were able to purchase which gives you all kinds of perks, while those of us on Regular Medicare and paying for Part B Supplement and Part D for Drugs, pay more than you do with no benefit for dental and eyeglasses. We also subsidize the Medicare Advantage Plans which are on their way out, thank goodness! Not fair!

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,680
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Dentures and eye glasses for the elderly that can't afford it?

[ Edited ]

@Moonchilde wrote:

 

Thank you for this, @kdgn. I have the insurance & finances for this now, but it's good to be aware that if I went to a nursing home (hopefully waaaay in the future) on Medi-Cal that might be an option. My mom did receive eyeglasses while in a nursing home, but not dental work. She had to pay for a removable bridge, but I think that was pre-nursing home admission.


@MoonchildeMy mom did have a HMO but I always got the run-around from them, as in "Medicare won't reimburse us for that."  The HMO would be more than willing to make an eye appointment for her to see one of their eye doctors but they would not pay to transport her to that office. She was in a wheelchair and I could not do the transportation. She had been getting her toe nails trimmed by a specialist at the HMO but once she was in the NH they refused to cover it. If I brought her in.....nor would they send anyone to do it because she wasn't a diabetic. Yet they sent lab techs and xray folks all the time not to mention she had a PA and a doctor who saw her. 

 

That being said, there are both private pay and Medi-cal doctors contracted with nursing homes that accept Medi-cal residents. I paid for a private pay podiatrist to see her every 6 weeks but he also took care of Medi-cal patients who were diabetic. A private pay opthamologist came every month, I paid for her to see him once a year. A Medi-cal eye doctor came every now and then, she saw him and received a new pair of glasses.

 

The dentist was different. I'm not sure if he saw Medi-cal residents exclusively or also private pay. That was his practice, he had no office-just a billing service. He was also limited in what procedures he could perform since he was a traveling dentist and he carried everything with him in the bed of his truck. Nice truck too. Anyway, Medi-cal paid for the tooth extractions, the molds, the dentures. They paid for him to see her in x amount of months to do any needed adjustments. They would pay for once a year after that; if they needed further adjustments it would have to be private pay. 

 

I was told that years before, Medi-cal had paid the cost of dentures for anyone enrolled in the program. California revamped and stopped doing that. That's why I said Medicaid coverage really depends on the state one lives in. It's a shared cost between the feds and the state. California could do away with that provision at any time......

Honored Contributor
Posts: 18,504
Registered: ‎05-23-2010

Re: Dentures and eye glasses for the elderly that can't afford it?


@kdgn wrote:

@Moonchilde wrote:

 

Thank you for this, @kdgn. I have the insurance & finances for this now, but it's good to be aware that if I went to a nursing home (hopefully waaaay in the future) on Medi-Cal that might be an option. My mom did receive eyeglasses while in a nursing home, but not dental work. She had to pay for a removable bridge, but I think that was pre-nursing home admission.


@MoonchildeMy mom did have a HMO but I always got the run-around from them, as in "Medicare won't reimburse us for that."  The HMO would be more than willing to make an eye appointment for her to see one of their eye doctors but they would not pay to transport her to that office. She was in a wheelchair and I could not do the transportation. She had been getting her toe nails trimmed by a specialist at the HMO but once she was in the NH they refused to cover it. If I brought her in.....nor would they send anyone to do it because she wasn't a diabetic. Yet they sent lab techs and xray folks all the time not to mention she had a PA and a doctor who saw her. 

 

That being said, there are both private pay and Medi-cal doctors contracted with nursing homes that accept Medi-cal residents. I paid for a private pay podiatrist to see her every 6 weeks but he also took care of Medi-cal patients who were diabetic. A private pay opthamologist came every month, I paid for her to see him once a year. A Medi-cal eye doctor came every now and then, she saw him and received a new pair of glasses.

 

The dentist was different. I'm not sure if he saw Medi-cal residents exclusively or also private pay. That was his practice, he had no office-just a billing service. He was also limited in what procedures he could perform since he was a traveling dentist and he carried everything with him in the bed of his truck. Nice truck too. Anyway, Medi-cal paid for the tooth extractions, the molds, the dentures. They paid for him to see her in x amount of months to do any needed adjustments. They would pay for once a year after that; if they needed further adjustments it would have to be private pay. 

 

I was told that years before, Medi-cal had paid the cost of dentures for anyone enrolled in the program. California revamped and stopped doing that. That's why I said Medicaid coverage really depends on the state one lives in. It's a shared cost between the feds and the state. California could do away with that provision at any time......


 

 

@kdgn, and with my luck of course they would 😫

But looking on the brighter side, I should be okay for 15 years or so 😜

Life without Mexican food is no life at all
Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 6,460
Registered: ‎04-20-2013

Re: Dentures and eye glasses for the elderly that can't afford it?

Another thought?  I don't know where you live but we have a borough nurse and she has been such a wealth of information and has helped many seniors living alone.  The Health Department of your town, would list the nurse.  In our case, she has arranged physician home visits, wellness visits etc.  I would actually start there first.  It's very kind of you to help this gentleman

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,148
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Dentures and eye glasses for the elderly that can't afford it?

What about contacting the department of social &  health services?  There is always availability for people that can't pay.

Highlighted
Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,188
Registered: ‎03-11-2010

Re: Dentures and eye glasses for the elderly that can't afford it?

[ Edited ]

Call the social security office. Call a local dentist and optometrist -- maybe they could refer u to someone who can help.I'm sure there are programs for this purpose.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 10,197
Registered: ‎07-29-2014

Re: Dentures and eye glasses for the elderly that can't afford it?

New Eyes for the Needy:

 

http://www.new-eyes.org/

 

Lions Club sight programs:

 

http://www.lionsclubs.org/EN/how-we-serve/health/sight/

 

 

Prayers to him...

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,356
Registered: ‎06-02-2010

Re: Dentures and eye glasses for the elderly that can't afford it?

I believe that Medicare will pay for cataract surgery which he most likely needs if he's over 60. I give all of my old glasses frames to the Lions Club. 

Don't know anything regarding dentures. 

Valued Contributor
Posts: 787
Registered: ‎10-16-2010

Re: Dentures and eye glasses for the elderly that can't afford it?

Contact your local Lions Club chapters. They'll pay for eyeglasses. Usually they require that a social worker or agency apply for an indigent person. Policies vary with the chapter. DH was the president of our local Lions chapter and I was the one who ended up handling calls for glasses. Woman Very Happy Many cities have multiple Lions Club chapters and sometimes things can get disorganized. How our private home phone number ended up listed on a Lions club web site as the number to call for help obtaining glasses I will never know. Woman Very Happy But call all the local chapters, be persistent, and don't get frustrated if you get passed around to different people and numbers.  

Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,784
Registered: ‎03-14-2010

Re: Dentures and eye glasses for the elderly that can't afford it?

I want to thank each and every one of you for your kind and helpful posts.  I got lots of ideas to give him.  I think I'll print this out and make a list of each organization for him to contact one by one until he finds the help he needs. He doesn't have internet so I told him I'd do research for him. He would be embarrassed if he knew I started a thread on this.

 

You've been very kind in your replies.  I can't thank you enough!