Mayo Clinic And Medicare (Rochester: insurance, live, retired)

[ead462]

My neighbor, who is 68, has been referred to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester for further evaluation and was told that the hospital did not take Medicare. Is this so? I thought Medicare was accepted everywhere in the U.S.?

[golfgal]

They probably do not accept medicare and medicare is not accepted everywhere. The Mayo is different in the way they handle their insurance and many insurance companies do not have coverage at Mayo. It would be best to speak to the medicare office and the Mayo insurance office because there are always exceptions, especially if it is something that is unique and the Mayo is the only place around to receive treatment.

[RDSLOTS]

As I type, I am at the Mayo Clinic with a friend of mine, as she undergoes testing and evaluation(s) of a condition they helped diagnose about four years ago. She is a Medicare patient.

The Clinic is most helpful in all areas. I would say a simple phone call might answer your questions. Good luck to your neighbor -- I hope she makes it here, as this is an incredible place. I have never seen a medical facility like it. What a vision the Mayos had.

[dstarren]

My husband had a kidney removed, due to cancer, 7 years ago at MayoClinic Rochester. He has gone every year for check-ups. Mayo has accepted Medicare all the time. I do know if you live outside of Minnesota you have to pay a 15% upcharge. I also know that Mayo Clinic Phoenix has stopped accepting Medicare patients. I would call the billing department at Mayo to make sure, as this can change from year to year...

[ozzie679]

My father has had some procedures done at Mayo and they accepted his Medicare.

[golfgal]

They had a Mayo dr on WCCO radio last week and he said that the Mayo clinic is changing the way they deal with Medicare but not discontinuing it all together. Basically the medicare reimbursement is so low that they lose money. I didn't hear the whole show so I don't have specifics.

[Kebinminn]

I think the Mayo thing was about Medicaid, not Medicare. Some states have such low payment rates on Medicaid Mayo stopped taking it from those states, I can't recall which ones.

[littlequeenie]

This is an old thread, but anyway, Mayo Rochester still accepts Medicare. But for some reason, the reimbursement rate for Medicare to Mayo is low compared to private insurance and apparently compared to other states.It is one reason why Mayo lobbied hard spending almost $1M against the public option as well as Medicare expansion to people 55 years old.
I did hear they stopped accepting Medicare at one of their clinics in Arizona.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by littlequeenie

This is an old thread, but anyway, Mayo Rochester still accepts Medicare. But for some reason, the reimbursement rate for Medicare to Mayo is low compared to private insurance and apparently compared to other states.It is one reason why Mayo lobbied hard spending almost $1M against the public option as well as Medicare expansion to people 55 years old.
I did hear they stopped accepting Medicare at one of their clinics in Arizona.

That's what they were talking about on 'CCO, now that you say that. I think it was one group of Dr's at their Scottsdale clinic that stopped accepting Medicare.

[littlequeenie]

Yes, I think most people think it must be Medicaid not Medicare b/c Medicaid is a needs-based program, not everyone accepts it, I'm sure it doesn't pay well (although I don't know the numbers for sure and it probably varies from state to state) and someone on Medicaid from one state can't necessarily be treated in another state and have their own state's Medicaid pay for it. I THINK there are some sort of agreements among continguous states.

But the fact that Mayo has stopped accepting MEDICARE - which just about every single person 65 and older has (including the Mayo CEO who just retired!) - at at least one of their facilities in AZ is to me just shocking. I know at one point not too long ago they decided to stop taking new Medicare patients for primary care, but now this...

Very sad. But so far I have seen nothing about Mayo Rochester. So far they are still accepting Medicare patients in all medicine and surgery specialities.