Page 16 THE REVERE ADVOCATE - Friday, August 9, 2019 Tickets on sale for second by Jim Miller How Medicare Covers Ambulance Services Dear Savvy Senior, How does Medicare cover ambulance services? About three months ago, I took an ambulance to the hospital emergency room because I rarely drive anymore, and I just received a $1,100 bill from the ambulance company. Surprised Senior Dear Surprised, This is a Medicare issue that confuses many seniors. Yes, Medicare does covers emergency ambulance services and, in limited cases, non-emergency ambulance services too, but only when they’re deemed medically necessary and reasonable. So, what does that means? First, it means that your medical condition must be serious enough that you need an ambulance to transport you safely to a hospital or other facility where you receive care that Medicare covers. If a car or taxi could transport you without endangering your health, Medicare won’t pay. For example, Medicare probably won’t pay for an ambulance to take someone with a simple arm fracture to a hospital. But if he or she goes into shock, or is prone to internal bleeding, ambulance transport may be medically necessary to ensure the patient’s safety on the way. The details make a diff erence. Second, the ambulance must take you to the nearest appropriate facility, meaning the closest hospital, critical access hospital, skilled nursing facility or dialysis facility generally equipped to provide the services your illness or injury requires. It also means that the facility must have a physician or physician specialist available to treat your condition. Thus, Medicare may pay for an ambulance to take you to a more distant hospital if, for example, you are seriously burned, and the nearest hospital doesn’t have burn unit. Similarly, if you live in a rural area where the nearest hospital equipped to treat you is a two-hour drive away, Medicare will pay. But if you want an ambulance to take you to a more distant hospital because the doctor you prefer has staff privileges there, expect to pay a greater share of the bill. Medicare will cover the cost of ambulance transport to the nearest appropriate facility and no more. Non-Emergency Situations In limited cases, Medicare will also cover non-emergency ambulance services if such transportation is needed to treat or diagnose your health condition and the use of any other transportation method could endanger your health. Not having another means of transportation is not suffi cient for Medicare to pay for services. Some examples here are if you need transportation to get dialysis or if you are staying in a skilled nursing facility and require medical care. In these cases, a doctor’s order may be required to prove that use of an ambulance is medically necessary. Ambulance Costs The cost for ambulance services can vary from several hundred to several thousand dollars depending on where you live and how far you’re transported. Under original Medicare, Part B pays 80 percent of the Medicare-approved amounts for ambulance rides. You, or your Medicare supplemental policy (if you have one), will need to pay the remaining 20 percent. If you have a Medicare Advantage Plan, it must cover the same services as original Medicare, and may off er some additional transportation services. You’ll need to check with your plan for details. How to Appeal If an ambulance company bills you for services after Medicare denies payment, but you think the ride was medically necessary, you can appeal (see Medicare.gov/claims-appeals). Often, a lack of information about a person’s condition or need for services leads to denials. If you need some help contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), which has counselors that can help you fi le an appeal for free. To locate your local SHIP, visit ShiptaCenter.org or call 877-839-2675. For more information on this topic, call Medicare at 800-633-4227 and ask them to mail you a copy of the “Medicare Coverage of Ambulance Services” booklet, or you can see it online at Medicare.gov/Pubs/pdf/11021-MedicareCoverage-of-Ambulance-Services.pdf. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. Murphys Boxing event at Encore Boston Harbor Resort to host Las Vegas–style fi ght night for Murphys Boxing championship match T ickets are now on sale for Encore Boston Harbor’s second Murphys Boxing championship match on Friday, August 23 at the newly opened $2.6 billion resort. The second match is subsequent to a sold-out event on Friday, July 12, which saw more than 2,300 attendees. “We were thrilled to see such success with our inaugural Murphys Boxing match earlier this month,” said Encore Boston Harbor President Robert DeSalvio. “We are so happy to bring these Las Vegas–style events to the Boston area, and we’re glad to see the community responding so well. We plan to continue off ering these can’tmiss nights.” Headlining the stacked card will be Boston’s most popular fi ghter, Mark DeLuca (24-1, 13 KOs), who will take on undefeated Mexican knockout artist Edgardo Velazquez (11-0, 11 KOs) in a 10-round battle for DeLuca’s title. The co-main event will feature one of the hottest fi ghters in the super featherweight division, Murphys Boxing’s own Abraham Nova (15-0, 11 KOs) and Mexico’s Jesus Antonio Perez Campos (23-3, 18 KOs). The undercard will feature a who’s who of many other Boston area–based fi ghters. “People are still buzzing about our last event at Encore Boston Harbor,” said Murphys Boxing Founder/Promoter Ken Casey. “It’s so exciting to be coming right back to Encore with the big guns like DeLuca, Nova and Gongora all on the same card while the excitement is still in the air.” Encore Boston Harbor will host Murphys Boxing fi ght night on Friday, August 23. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $50 and are on sale now at ticketmaster.com. About Encore Boston Harbor Encore Boston Harbor is a $2.6 billion integrated luxury gaming resort destination featuring a 210,000 square foot casino, 671 lavishly appointed hotel rooms, an ultra-premium spa, specialty retail, 15 dining and lounge venues and a state-of-the-art ballroom and meeting spaces. It is the largest private, single-phase development in the history of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Situated on the waterfront in Everett, Mass., and connected to Boston Harbor by water shuttles, Encore Boston Harbor has opened part of the Mystic River shoreline to the public for the fi rst time in more than a century. The resort has created a six-acre pedestrian Harborwalk that connects to a pedestrian/bicycle path and provides access to the river, an events lawn and picnic and public viewing areas, as well as ornate fl oral displays and public art. For more information, visit encorebostonharbor.com or follow Encore Boston Harbor on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. About Murphys Boxing Murphys Boxing was founded by Dropkick Murphys’ frontman Ken Casey in 2014. In just fi ve short years, Murphys Boxing has become the premier boxing promoter in the New England area and one of the hottest young promotions in the country. The year 2018 was a breakout year for Murphys Boxing as their fi rst fi ghter achieved a world title. Along with the promotion’s fi rst champion, several Murphys Boxing fi ghters secured world title opportunities and nationally televised fi ghts in 2018. Murphys Boxing closed out its banner year by co-promoting the World Boxing Organization Middleweight Championship bout between Demetrius Andrade and Walter Kautondokwa in front of over 10,000 fans at TD Garden, the legendary home of the Boston Celtics, which was broadcast internationally on DAZN. Murphys Boxing’s current roster features world-ranked contenders like Mark DeLuca, Charles Foster, Abraham Nova, Greg Vendetti, Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan and undefeated prospects like Niall Kennedy, Carlos Gongora, William Foster III and more! For more information visit www. murphysboxing.com. Police report shooting in area of North Shore Road and Shawmut Street O n Friday, Aug. 2, at approximately 5:16 p.m., the Revere Police Department received a report of a shooting in the area of North Shore Road and Shawmut Street. When offi cers arrived, they discovered a male victim in a vehicle in the southbound lane of North Shore Road. The victim, who was suff ering from a gunshot wound, was transported to the hospital, where he is currently listed in critical condition. The Revere Police Department and Massachusetts State Police are seeking information from motorists who were in the area at the time of the shooting, who witnessed the shooting or who might have witnessed any type of altercation between people in vehicles in that area. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Revere Police Criminal Investigation Division at 781656-1131 or the Massachusetts State Police at 617-727-8817. This is an active and ongoing investigation.
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