Does Medicare Pay for Stem Cell Therapy?

When does Medicare pay for stem cell therapy? The answer is: in a limited amount of cases.

Stem cell therapy is still controversial and expensive. Moreover, there are limited amounts of studies available on specific therapies and procedures. As a result, Medicare’s coverage of stem cell therapies, including transplants, is minimal.

If you have a sick loved one, or if you yourself are sick, it makes sense to want to research every option available for quick healing. During your search, you may run into “stem cell therapy” as a treatment option. Sometimes, stem cell news can bring up confusing and conflicting stories. Let’s start with the basics of stem cell therapy and then discover what Medicare covers for treatments.

What is a Stem Cell?

To start, according to the Mayo Clinic, a stem cell is a “master cell” that forms a base for the creation of all the body’s other cells. (For example, brain cells, organ cells, blood cells or bone cells.) That is a simple way to look at a complex body function.

However, the main take away is, stem cells are the ONLY cells that naturally have the ability to generate new cells.

Because of their generative ability, the study of stem cells holds great possibilities for healing diseases. As a result, researchers call stem cell therapy “the next chapter” in healing our organs, blood and tissues. Effectively, reducing the need for organ transplants.

What is Stem Cell Therapy?

Doctors and researchers are creating and studying new procedures every year that will help heal organs, but the science is still new, and the verified and approved procedures and treatments are few and expensive.

Stem Cell Therapy is also called regenerative medicine. According to the Mayo Clinic it, “promotes the repair response of diseased, dysfunctional or injured tissue using stem cells or their derivatives.”

Stem Cell Therapy is a fascinating subject for anyone needing an organ transplant or experiencing organ dysfunction / organ failure. Organ donors are few and transplant lists are long. The possibility of stem cell therapy being able to be a solution is promising and exciting.

In addition, there is also hope that stem cells will be able to offer treatments in spinal cord injuries, diabetes, Parkinson’s, and heart disease.

However, not only is research expensive, it is also controversial.

So, What is the Controversy Behind Stem Cell Therapy?

The controversy behind stem cell therapy lies within where the studied stem cells are harvested. You can get stem cells from embryos, adult tissues, or even, as more recently discovered, in amniotic fluid as well as umbilical cord blood.

However, the best, more versatile stem cells are embryonic stem cells. Not only do these cells have more regenerative potential, but they also are not changed or affected by any environmental factors (like adult cells would be.)

Harvesting stem cells leads to strong ethical debates on “personhood” and whether or not researchers should be using embryos for stem cells. You can read more on that debate here.

What Does Medicare Cover for Stem Cell Therapy?

As mentioned, because the science is new and studies on procedures and their affects are limited, Medicare has a very limited coverage of Stem Cell Therapies. The CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) closely follow the recommendations of the FDA (Federal Drug Administration) on what procedures are considered necessary and effective.

According to the CMS, Medicare Part A covers stem cell transplants under “certain conditions”. (Part A is also responsible for transplant coverage.) Usually, these conditions start with having you try other Medicare-approved options first if stem cell therapy is not the charted first course of action.

First, know that coverage can be different in each state. However, when procedures are standardized, CMS will release new information on what is Medicare-approved nationally.

Examples of Medicare-Approved Stem Cell Therapies

The CMS has a page on “Coverage with Evidence Development,” and on this page you can find new information on coverage and research. For example, on this page, you can see information on “Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant for Multiple Myeloma.” In regards to this specific disease, stem cell therapy was approved by CMS for Medicare coverage in this specific way:

“CMS will cover items and services necessary for research under §1862(a)(1)(E) for a allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) for certain Medicare beneficiaries with multiple myeloma (MM) using the Coverage with Evidence Development (CED) paradigm. “

https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Coverage/Coverage-with-Evidence-Development/allo-MM

You will also find additional information on the CMS website for the following stem cell therapies:

Another example, is AuSCT or Stem Cell Therapy/Transplantation for Amyloidosis

According to CMS, AuSCT can treat AL Amyloidosis, a “rare blood disorder” affecting your heart, kidneys, nervous and gastrointestinal systems.

In this transplantation, stem cells are retrieved from a patient’s bone marrow or blood, stored, and then transplanted back into the patient following high dose chemotherapy used to treat various cancers.

Read more here.

National Coverage Listings are Not All-Inclusive

Of course, that list does not cover all the potential uses for stem cell therapy, but it is a place to start. Additionally, since each state’s Medicare coverage can be different, your medical providers and doctors are good places to go for Medicare coverage questions.

Where Can You Receive Medicare Covered Stem Cell Treatments?

Very few medical facilities have the equipment or expertise for specific stem cell therapies. For this reason, approved stem cell transplants (and cornea transplants) are not limited to just Medicare-approved facilities.

This flexibility can be good news for Medicare beneficiaries looking to schedule these unique procedures. On the other hand, according to Medicare.gov, all other transplants, must be done at Medicare-approved centers and facilities.

Does Medicare Cover Stem Cell Therapy for Knees?

One popular use for stem cell therapy is repairing injured knees. Unfortunately, it is not covered by Medicare at this time. In addition, stem cell therapy is not Medicare-approved for other stem cell treatments for arthritis and joint connection issues (i.e. tears and pain in ligaments and tissues).

You can certainly go outside of your Medicare coverage to have these treatments done, but be careful of clinics using non-FDA-approved techniques and making unsubstantiated claims. You can read the FDA’s warning here.

Conclusions

In Summary, if you are wondering “is stem cell therapy covered by Medicare?”

  • Your best first step is to consult with your doctor and medical providers to get information on what specific therapies would be applicable to your unique situation.
  • Then, specifically ask them about stem cell therapies available.
  • Remember, each area of the country might have different rules and treatments available.

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