Had Medicare covered liposuction and then they reversed decision

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

I was referred to the plastics dept. at a large hospital by my hiv doctor. I had lower belly tissue damage from doing Fuzeon injections for 2 1/2 year. The skin was so damaged that I was getting horrible giant bruises if I touched the skin the wrong way. I was assured by the hospital that a tummy tuck would be covered by Medicare, plus they put some of the fat into my face. It was indeed covered. Then after I healed several weeks later, the doctor wanted to take fat deposits out of my back and sides (under shoulder blades, around to chest) and some awful lopsided fat deposits in my upper arms, and he wanted to put more fat into my face. This was approved by Medicare. He did the procedure, and the hospital got paid. Then I got a bunch of letters from Medicare saying that they reversed their decision and they were going to try to get the money back from the hospital. I called them and they said that the hospital had five chances to appeal this. In the mean time I went back there for a check up, and the doctor wanted to do more work on me...still have a small hump on back of neck and excess fat deposits in chest and belly. I told him that I wouldn't get more done until the Medicare mess was straightened out. His assistant acted like she didn't even want to get involved with the whole mess. She just gets the approval, then if something happens it's YOUR problem lol. So I called their customer assistance number. It seems that they're still appealing to Medicare, but there is a possibility that I could be charged $6,900 for the second procedure. I think in one of the Medicare letters it said that I couldn't be charged, but who knows what the hospital will do?

Has anyone else gone though this type of thing with Medicare reversing their decision and then getting billed by a hospital?

Has me kind of worried. I'm having other medical problems lately, and have this worry in the back of my mind.

Charlie