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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 a contract plan provider is an agent of the plan. Services and referrals obtained from a plan 
provider are viewed as plan-approved unless notice is given that the services will not be covered. When a plan 
provider gives, or refers an enrollee for, a service that the enrollee reasonably believes is covered by the plan, 
the enrollee is held harmless and need not pay more than the plan-allowed cost-sharing for that service.  
 
If a service is never covered by the plan and the plan's Evidence of Coverage (EOC) is clear that the service or 
item is never covered, the plan does not have to hold the enrollee harmless.  
 
For a service or item that is normally not covered, but could be covered under some conditions, the EOC alone 
is not adequate notice of non-coverage. If no notice of non-coverage is given, the enrollee is held harmless. 
You can find this rule in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Internet Only Manual, Publication 
100-16, Medicare Managed Care Manual, Chapter 4, Section 160. 
 
The rules say a health plan must disclose to its enrollees in clear, accurate terms all cost-sharing information 
(such as copayments, deductibles and coinsurance). You can find this rule at 42 CFR Section 422.111(a) and 
(b).  
The rules say that a copayment is a fixed amount charged to an enrollee on a per-service basis. The rules say 
that coinsurance is a fixed percentage of the total amount paid for a health care service that can be charged to 
an enrollee on a per-service basis. You can find this rule at 42 CFR Section 422.2. 
 
Medicare does not pay for low vision aids. This exclusion includes all devices that use one or more lenses to 
aid vision or magnify images. This rule applies no matter the size, form or technological features of the device. 
This rule does not apply to:  
 
1. post-surgical prosthetic lenses after surgery in which the lens of the eye was removed;  
 
2. prosthetic intraocular lenses (IOLs) and one pair of conventional eyeglasses or contact lenses furnished after 
each cataract surgery with insertion of an IOL: and  
 
3. prosthetic lenses used by those who are lacking the natural lens of the eye and who were not furnished with 
an IOL.  
You can find this rule at 42 CFR Section 411.15(b). 
  
Medicare does not pay for eye exams for the purpose of prescribing, fitting, or changing eyeglasses or contact 
lenses for refractive error only. Medicare does not pay for procedures performed in the course of any eye exam 
to determine the refractive state of the eyes. Refractive procedures are not covered even when done in 
connection with otherwise covered diagnosis or treatment of illness or injury. You can find these rules at 42 
CFR Section 411.15(c). 
 
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 Health 
Plan contract says that you are responsible for a $50 copayment for Medicare covered eye exams. You can find 
this information on page 88 of the Plan's 2021 EOC.