Are incontinence supplies covered by Medicaid? The answer depends on your specific state Medicaid plan and individual Medicaid benefits.
However, as an incontinence supply provider that’s in-network with many state Medicaid plans as well as Medicare and private insurance plans, 180 Medical can be your guide. First, let’s go over what incontinence is and the main types of incontinence.
What is incontinence and what causes it?
Incontinence is the accidental or unintentional leakage of urine from the bladder, which is known as urinary incontinence. Incontinence can also impact the bowels, which is known as fecal or bowel incontinence.
So what causes incontinence? Incontinence can happen to anyone of any age for multiple reasons. Your doctor or another prescribing healthcare professional will be able to diagnose your issues and determine a possible cause.
However, you might want to know about a few common culprits. Age is one common cause of incontinence as pelvic floor muscles and rectal muscles can weaken over time. Pregnancy, childbirth, or being overweight are other frequent causes of urinary incontinence.
Additionally, certain chronic medical conditions impacting the nerves, brain, or spinal cord can cause incontinence. This may include conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, spinal cord injuries, stroke, Down syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease, or multiple sclerosis. Sometimes incontinence can occur due to medication or medical treatments, such as radiation or certain types of surgery.
Fecal incontinence sometimes occurs due to conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). IBS and IBD can cause diarrhea or even urge incontinence at times.
What are the different types of incontinence?
As said above, people can experience either fecal incontinence, urinary incontinence, or a mix of both. However, urinary incontinence can be broken down into a few different diagnosable types.
Types of Urinary Incontinence
Urge Incontinence
Urge incontinence happens when people feel like they have to go to the bathroom but can’t make it in time.
Stress Incontinence
Stress incontinence typically occurs due to stress on the bladder or pelvic floor muscles, which can happen due to coughing, laughing, exercising, or lifting heavy objects.
Overflow Incontinence
If one has the urge to urinate but can only release urine in small amounts at a time, the urine may build up in the bladder. This is known as bladder retention or urinary retention. Unfortunately, as urine builds up, it can begin to slowly overflow and leak. Intermittent catheters are often a solution for urinary bladder retention and overflow incontinence issues. Regular intermittent catheterization can fully drain the bladder, reducing the risk of overflow leakage.
Functional Incontinence
This type of urinary or fecal incontinence can occur when an individual needs to go to the bathroom but are physically or mentally unable to make it in time. In other words, their impaired function can cause incidents of incontinence. This is more common in senior citizens and people with physical or mental disabilities.
Post-Micturition Dribble (PMD)
This is a form of light urinary incontinence that primarily occurs in men, but not always. This can be due to issues such as an enlarged prostate or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). It can also be related to weakening pelvic floor muscles.
Post-micturition dribble is the dribbling of urine after already going to the bathroom. This usually happens when the bladder can’t fully empty on its own, which is known as incomplete bladder emptying.
Mixed Incontinence
Mixed incontinence is a blend of two or more of the above-listed types of incontinence.
What types of incontinence supplies do I need?
When thinking of ways to manage incontinence, many people are unsure of where to start. Ultimately, the type of incontinence supplies to get will come down to your individual needs. This may include your activity and mobility level, body size, and absorbency needs (light to heavy). Additionally, it will depend on whether you have fecal incontinence, urinary incontinence, or both.
Your doctor may recommend a bladder management program, which may include the use of incontinence supplies and/or catheter supplies. Plus, they will be able to write a prescription, which many insurance companies including state Medicaid plans, will require in order to cover your incontinence supplies.
Adult Diapers and Disposable Briefs
If you have fecal or urinary incontinence, you may need disposable briefs or adult diapers, which are also known as pull-ups or pull-on disposable underwear. This is one of the most common ways to catch anywhere from light to severe leakage. However, most people who use adult pull-on underwear or adult briefs typically have moderate to severe incontinence.
Children’s Pull-Up Diapers and Training Pants
For children with incontinence issues, we offer a wide variety of product solutions, including baby diapers, youth pants or training pants, incontinence pull-ups, and more. This can be ideal for potty training as well as managing ongoing incontinence issues for kids.
Many product solutions feature wetness indicators so you know when it’s time to change. Often, these products can handle a high amount of leakage, and they’re easy to put on and take off.
Booster Pads
Booster pads help boost the effectiveness of pull-on protective underwear or disposable briefs. These products fit inside incontinence underwear to absorb even more leakage. Also, booster pads may help extend the wear-time of your briefs or diapers.
Disposable Bladder Pads
People with lighter urinary incontinence or slight dribbling may only need a thin male guard, pantyliner, or bladder control pad.
Disposable Underpads (Bedpads or Chux)
Lastly, some people with incontinence may want to use underpads or disposable liners for beds, chairs, and other furniture. This helps protect your furniture and bedding from leaks that may escape overnight or during the day.
Explore more incontinence supplies from the leading brands on 180 Medical’s incontinence product showcase.
Are incontinence supplies covered by Medicaid?
Yes, some state Medicaid plans and Medicaid waiver programs do cover incontinence supplies. This is great because incontinence products can be expensive. However, please note that in order for an insurance plan to cover your supplies, it must be medically necessary.
Medicaid is a state-run insurance option for low-income adults, children, and people living with disabilities. It can sometimes be difficult to find out what each state Medicaid covers. Because each state runs its own program, you have to check your state’s plan to see if they offer coverage for incontinence supplies.
If you have Florida or Georgia Medicaid, 180 Medical can handle that for you. When you reach out to us, we’ll verify your insurance plan to determine how and if it will cover your incontinence supplies. After verifying your coverage, we can find out if your Medicaid plan includes any spend-downs or out-of-pocket costs. We’ll let you know if your state Medicaid requires any additional documentation or a pre-authorization process in order to cover your incontinence products.
