Appeal type: unknown
Decision: unknown

The rules say that plans must pay for a medical service or item if regular Medicare would pay for it in this case. 
You can find this rule at 42 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 422.101. 
 
The rules say that Medicare will not pay for dental services. Dental services are items and services involving 
the care, treatment, filling, removal or replacement of teeth or structures directly supporting the teeth. Medicare 
defines "structures directly supporting the teeth" as the periodontium, which includes the gingivae, 
dentogingival junction, periodontal membrane, cementum of the teeth, and alveolar process. You can find this 
rule in the SSA, Section 1862(a)(12) and Medicare Benefit Policy Manual, Chapter 15, Section 150. 
 
The rules state that items and services furnished outside the United States are excluded from coverage except 
for the following services, and certain services rendered on board a ship:  
 Emergency inpatient hospital services where the emergency occurred:  
o While the beneficiary was physically present in the United States; or  
o In Canada while the beneficiary was traveling without reasonable delay and by the most direct 
route between Alaska and another State. 
 Emergency or nonemergency inpatient hospital services furnished by a hospital located outside the 
United States, if the hospital was closer to, or substantially more accessible from, the beneficiary's 
United States residence than the nearest participating United States hospital which was adequately 
equipped to deal with and available to provide treatment of the illness or injury;  
 Physician and ambulance services furnished in connection with a covered foreign hospitalization. 
Program payment may not be made for any other Part B medical and other health services, including 
outpatient services furnished outside the United States;  
 Services rendered on board a ship in a United States port, or within 6 hours of when the ship arrived at, 
or departed from, a United States port, are considered to have been furnished in United States territorial 
waters. Services not furnished in a United States port, or within 6 hours of when the ship arrived at, or 
departed from, a United States port, are considered to have been furnished outside United States 
territorial waters, even if the ship is of United States registry; and  
 
The term "United States" means the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the 
Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa and, for purposes of services rendered 
on a ship, includes the territorial waters adjoining the land areas of the United States. You can find these rules 
in Medicare Benefit Policy Manual Chapter 16, Section 60. 
 
If you want to read these Medicare rules, you can go to this website www.medicareappeal.com. 
 
The Plan contract says that the Plan covers items and services in accordance with Medicare rules. The Plan 
contract says that the Plan offers supplemental dental benefits for certain specified dental services. You may 
use an out-of-network licensed dentist (who has not opted out or been excluded from Medicare) within the 
United States and its territories. Services rendered by dentists who have opted out or been excluded from 
Medicare are not eligible for reimbursement. You can find this information in the Plan's 2019 dental overview 
of benefits.