Are Incontinence Supplies For Seniors Covered by Medicare?

Let’s just get to it…no, Original Medicare does not cover incontinence supplies for seniors.

There are still ways to get it incontinence supplies covered by Medicare through certain Medicare insurance options such as Medicare Advantage plans or through Medicaid.

We will review how we can get incontinence supplies for seniors covered by Medicaid as well (Medi-Cal for our California residents).

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Medicare does cover urological and ostomy supplies, which can be confused in this category. These would be supplies like catheters and colostomy bags. 

How can I get Free Incontinence Supplies for Seniors?

There are a few ways to get free urinary incontinence supplies. Each has their own perks and pitfalls.

Medicare Advantage Plans

Many Medicare Advantage plans now offer an over-the-counter benefit now-a-days for adult incontinence.

The amount each offers can vary wildly from $50-300 every 3 months. Within this benefit we see almost all of them include some sort of incontinence supply coverage.

Often you only have one or two brands to choose from, but they generally pay for adult diapers and cover the gambit of bed pads, diapers, and under pads. Many of these medicare coverage will have you order from a catalogue but a few plans will allow you to purchase direct from local stores, in person, like Walmart, CVS, ect.

The amount you plan covers may not be enough to supply you each month. If not scroll down to our affordable places links below. If you would like to see if there is a Medicare Advantage plan near you that offers this benefit, contact us below. 

Medi-Cal

Medi-cal does cover 100% of incontinence supplies. You will have to get supplies from a Medicaid program approved supplier.

Your doctor can help you set this up if you do not want to do it yourself. 

Medi-Cal with Medicare Advantage: If you have a Medicare Advantage plan and Medi-cal you can still get all of your incontinence supplies covered by Medi-cal coverage.

You will need to get what is called a “denial letter”. Since your Medicare Advantage will be primary to Medi-cal your doctor will have to request authorization for the supplies you want.

The medical group who manages your Medicaid Plan care will deny the request (because Medicare and therefore Medicare Advantage plans do not cover incontinence supplies as a covered medical benefit).

Once they deny it they will fax the denial letter to the supplier your doctor requested, allowing them to bill Medi-cal (or the state Medicaid program you belong to) as a secondary so you can get your supplies. 

VA : Veterans’ Administration

Veterans receiving VA benefits can obtain incontinence supplies through their coverage.

Generally it is covered through the medical supplies or pharmacy benefits. You are able to request better brands if the standard issue brand name does not fit your needs.

You’ll need to work with your doctor to obtain a prescription and/or statement of clinical need with the medical factors for why a specific brand name or alternative is needed.

Research your options online and use complimentary or low-priced samples to try different brands the best options for you to request.

Incontinence Supplies Covered By Medicare With Original Medicare or a Medigap 

If you have just Original Medicare or Medicare and a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) then you will have to buy incontinence supplies for seniors on your own.

There are a lot of options for you. 

Local Pharmacies/Supply companies

These are hit and miss. It is very easy to be overcharged by many local places as they are used to billing insurances and will charge you the same prices they charge the insurance companies.

There are a few who do good business and understand that you are the customer and not the insurance carrier. A great example of this is a local company named Ray Fisher Pharmacy in Fresno, CA. They do home delivery as well as can handle your other pharmacy and medical supply needs. If you can find a company near you that does business like them then you will be in good hands.

If you cannot find one near you, you can also search online at many of the major pharmacies like CVS, Rite Aid, or Walgreens for supplies. They have a much larger supply online and many of these stores have membership programs for discounts and coupons. 

Online Companies Selling Incontinence Supplies For Seniors

There are a lot of companies online who do business exclusively with customers directly.

They have priced their products appropriately to be affordable and convenient compared to going to a Walmart or other local store.

They offer home delivery and discounts for recurring monthly purchases. This way if you buy the same amount of supplies monthly or quarterly you can set it up to buy again automatically and mail it directly to your house.

This will help you avoid running out or having to go publicly make these purchases.

Below is a list of the sites we found to be affordable, convenient, and offer other services to allow you to have everything done in one place, if needed. 

Interesting side note: For those who care about what products are made out of and prefer the “all natural” approach there is actually a company that makes old school cloth diapers for adults. Check them out HERE. 

Department Stores That Sell Incontinence Supplies For Seniors

You can often find these supplies on the shelf of most any major department store or pharmacy such as Walmart and Target.

Many of these stores also allow for online shopping as well. We can say for certain that they have a much larger selection of items online than they do in the stores. Some have some discount programs you can join to help lower the cost of supplies or you can get coupons exclusive to their store. 

Go ahead and relax. Contact your Local Medicare Agent and get some questions answered.

For questions about incontinence supplies covered by Medi-cal, support in enrolling into a Medicare insurance plan that covers over-the-counter, or anything else please contact one of Local Medicare Agents.