Why doesnt the Veterans Administration accept Medicare Insurance as a provider for its charges?
Question:
Answers:
Short Answer: Medicare is prohibited in US Code from making payment to other Federal Agencies for health care services.
Long Answer:
VA only recently (in the '80s) was authorized to bill any insurance for reimbursement. Note, VA can only bill for non-service-connected care. Any treatment for injuries or illnesses related to veteran service are not chargeable to third parties.
In the 90's they finally came up with a 'reasonable charges' methodology, which linked charges to the level of care (vs. just charging a set fee for every visit or stay).
Because supplemental insurance companies don't know what they really should pay when someone has Medicare primary, VA started a program to actually bill Medicare, but NOT for payment.
Medicare sends VA a remittance advice notice that indicates what coinsurance & deductible would be due IF they did pay, and then VA sends that to the secondary payer so they know how much to pay VA.
So, as a veteran, you should provide Medicare insurance information to the VA. If you have a Medicare supplement, they will pick up the coinsurance & deductible amounts.
Confused? Contact your local VA and they can explain in person.
Other Answers:
perhaps, a statically placed phone call will get your answer.
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