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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 may cover a drug or biological if it is safe and effective and otherwise reasonable 
and necessary. You can find this rule in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Internet Only 
Manual, Publication 100-02, Medicare Benefit Policy Manual, Chapter 15, Section 50.4.1. 
  
Medicare rules also allow the plan to use step therapy. This is the process of beginning drug therapy for a 
medical condition with "preferred" (or more cost-effective) on-formulary drug alternative(s) and progressing to 
other drug therapies only as necessary. A plan must grant an exception to its step therapy rules if it determines 
that the requested drug is medically necessary, consistent with the prescriber's statement. The statement must 
show that the step therapy drugs: have been ineffective in treating the enrollee; or are likely to be ineffective or 
adversely affect the drug's effectiveness or patient compliance; or are likely to cause an adverse reaction or 
other harm to the enrollee.  
 
Medicare Advantage plans should ensure that new step therapy requirements do not disrupt ongoing Part B 
drug therapies for enrollees. Step therapy may only be applied to new prescriptions or administrations of Part B 
drugs for enrollees that are not actively receiving the affected medication. You can find this information at 42 
CFR Sections 422.2 and 422.136. 
 
The rules say that effective January 1, 1998, Medicare also covers self-administered anti-emetics, which are 
necessary for the administration and absorption of the anti-neoplastic chemotherapeutic agents when a high 
likelihood of vomiting exists. The anti-emetic drug is covered as a necessary means for administration of the 
anti-neoplastic chemotherapeutic agents. Oral drugs prescribed for use with the primary drug, which enhance 
the anti-neoplastic effect of the primary drug or permit the patient to tolerate the primary anti-neoplastic drug in 
higher doses for longer periods, are not covered. Self-administered anti-emetics to reduce the side effects of 
nausea and vomiting brought on by the primary drug are not included beyond the administration necessary to 
achieve drug absorption. Section 1861(s)(2) of the Social Security Act extends coverage to oral anti-emetic 
drugs that are used as full replacement for intravenous dosage forms of a cancer regimen under the following 
conditions: 
 Coverage is provided only for oral drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use as 
anti-emetics; 
 The oral anti-emetic must either be administered by the treating physician or in accordance with a written 
order from the physician as part of a cancer chemotherapy regimen; 
 
  Oral anti-emetic drugs administered with a particular chemotherapy treatment must be initiated within 2 hours 
of the administration of the chemotherapeutic agent and may be continued for a period not to exceed 48 hours 
from that time; 
 The oral anti-emetic drugs provided must be used as a full therapeutic replacement for the intravenous anti-
emetic drugs that would have otherwise been administered at the time of the chemotherapy treatment. 
 
You can find this information in the Medicare Benefit Policy Manual; Chapter 15  Covered Medical and 
Other Health Services; 50.5.4 - Oral Anti-Nausea (Anti-Emetic) Drugs. 
 
If you want to read these Medicare rules, you can go to this website www.medicareappeal.com.