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I am born in 1936 and will turn 79 in September 2015. i had both knees replaced in 2004. my left knee needed a replacement in 2013. now my right knee is going bad again. does medicare pay for a knee revision and replacement after age 80? is there an age limit? thank you and regards. peter

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I had my knee replaced 2 years ago, when I was 83 and there was no problem. Medicare and my supplementary insurance covered all the bills.
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As long as your doc thinks you're up for the surgery, you're good to go. God bless.
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My stepdad had hip replaced roughly 20 years ago, he required a revision four years ago at the age of 84, and Medicare paid for it. All was good for him with the surgery, though the anesthesia had an effect on his cognition. We were concerned that the surgery was the start of dementia for him. But, after a couple of weeks the confusion lifted. Now, four years later, he has early stages of memory loss.
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My SO is scheduled for a double TKR in mid-July. Medicare will cover much of the cost and the rest covered by his secondary insurance. He is having his surgeries a week apart.
Are you saying that your knee replacements only lasted 10 years? Ten years is way short of the expected life a TKR. Are you a runner, tennis player? Something feels off as I research the expected life of a knee replacement last year, as I only wanted to do this surgery once--the second replacement surgery is said to be less successful.
Get your ortho surgeon financial office to help you with the specifics. Hospitals have specific cost packages for these type of surgeries. Good luck
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You have great answers here. I think you surgeon needs to find out why your knee is going "bad again"........maybe you don't even need surgery. I work in ortho rehab and surgery does have it's risks dependent which go up with each pre-existing medical condition. This can be true for Alzheimer's dementia if you have any possibility of this now. The surgery can accelerate this, so just be aware. you obviously remember the rehab involved after surgery that is a must if you are to have a good return. Good luck.
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OT Jenn. Great questions and suggestions. My SO has short term memory problems which started after his knees pain started.
The rehab is critical and you must stick with it for several weeks, a couple months.
I would ask your surgeon how long he expects your recovery to take.
You will need help at home when you first go home.
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Weight plays a great part in the prognosis after joint replacement. If you are overweight/obese then loosing weight will give you a much better outcome at any age. If you slim down and follow a PT regime it might be possible to actually avoid the need for further surgery. In any case PT prior to surgery will put you in better shape to recover after surgery.
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My mothers brother had knee replacement at age 100 and he did fine. I am guessing his insurance/medicare paid for some of it. He lived to be 103.
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My dad had his knee replaced when he was 96. Medicare and supplemental insurance covered all the expenses except phone and TV in the hospital, which he did not use (has a cell phone and couldn't use the TV because he's legally blind). I contacted the hospital and they dropped the charges for those. My dad had quite a bit of preparation that had to be done ahead of the surgery because his blood count was low. That was resolved to the surgeon's satisfaction. Today my dad is 100 and while he has some difficult walking due to spinal issues, his knee is good. Rehab was very important, so if you go through with the surgery, be sure to do the follow-up. Rehab worked better for my dad at a rehab facility because he got more attention and practice there than he would have gotten at home when PT would have been only three days a week. Good luck with this.
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Ask Medicare if they will cover a replacement. There is not supposed to be an age limit because that would be discrimination against the ADA guidelines. The major concern with advanced age is any anesthesia which could have untoward effects and possible death (think Joan Rivers case).
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Good answers. Both my husband and myself need knee replacement. (both knees). But he has Alzheimers and it will be very hard for the recovery period. Should I go first for surgery and then him? He works awfully hard outside. We have 30 acres and he is always out there. It keeps him more alert, but he limps. As long as I can keep my weight down, I can manage. But if I am overweight even a little bit, I have a lot of trouble. Right now I need to lose about 15 pounds. But the doctor says I am bone on bone in both knees. Marymember
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Marymember, I think you should go first but don't do both knees together. Try and do them about 4 months apart. if you don't go to rehab you will need someone to stay with you for at least a week (Think carrying a cup of coffee using a walker) you won't be driving for at least a month and will need 6 weeks PT. Do you have someone to stay with hubby while you are gone? The surgery may well set your hubbys condition back which is why I suggest you have yours first. They can do the surgery under a spinal anesthetic and heavy sedation so you both won't know anything about it and it will save the effect of general anesthetic. It is hard work but if you do the rehab you will have excellent results. I have a new hip and knee on the right side and don't even know i have them. It has been six years
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What exactly does Medicare cover on a joint rellacement? I'm eligible first of August, but am on Medicaid right now. Had a managed care plan and was scheduled for a TKR in July, but that was cancelled two days before surgeon consult (without being forewarned) and had to sign up for integrated care plan which doesn't activate til I am eligible for Medicare. So that will change shortly after. Trying to find answers online - phone waits are interminably long - is not working. I'm hoping my Part B will be Medicaid. Anyone know how this works? Does Medicaid cover any of this? So frustrating as I had lined up care for my mother while I was to be gone; and without surgey soon I will need more care fhan she does as I also need the right hip & knee fixed, too. Not a pretty future.
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GGsGirl - You will most likely be automatically signed up for both Parts A and B on Medicare and have to 'opt out' of Part B. There is an annual deductible of $1260 for Part A hospitalization; so you will responsible for that unless you buy a secondary insurance. Have you rec'd your " Medicare and You 2015" booklet? It explains everything, including reimbursements etc. You can download a copy online or have one mailed to you.

I would think the tricky part would be melding Medicaid and Medicare providers as some providers & facilities will not accept Medicaid reimbursement rates.
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Does medicare cover knee rplacement after age 80. I heard that after age 80 medicare ill not cover joint replacements because of obamacare.
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Don't know the answer to that but don't see why not as they cover surgery for broken hips . You can call Medicare and ask. If this is to be an elective procedure think very carefully if your 80 year old could tolerate the surgery plus the rehab which can be hard and require determination. For someone old, sedentary and overweight recovery is extremely challenging.
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