Michigan’s Medicare cutoff battle brewing: ‘I feel they wrote me off’

Feb 2011

The state’s 1.5 million Medicare recipients, along with thousands of others insured by private plans, could get some relief under a lawsuit challenging the cutoff of physical and other therapies if patients cannot demonstrate improvement.

The problem particularly affects people with multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injuries, heart failure and Alzheimer’s disease, among others.

Advocates for patients say the cutoffs are not warranted by Medicare regulations. The practice is often followed by private insurers, too, because they take their cue from Medicare.

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