Unexpected $2,800 medications bill! Now what?

Adam, is Dad living at skilled nursing facility as part of rehab? The 100 days comment sounded to me like a rehab stay since Medicare does NOT pay for custodial care at nursing home. Going through this with my mother-in-law and billing at her skilled nursing facility this year with 2 rehab stays and 3 hospital stays. You really need to get your billing department at the nursing home to explain how they have billed the items - are you being hit for "co-insurance" on skilled nursing for the medications since they are only covered WHILE Dad is in rehab. Once you have exhausted the 100 days of rehab, you pay via Part B (some meds are equipment like syringes for diabetes, catheters) or Part D (the majority of prescriptions).
Found this on Medicare website as regards Medicare Part A.
Skilled nursing facility (SNF) care
How often is it covered?
Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) covers skilled nursing care provided in a skilled nursing facility (SNF) under certain conditions for a limited time.
Medicare-covered services include, but aren't limited to:
Semi-private room (a room you share with other patients)
Meals
Skilled nursing care
Physical and occupational therapy*
Speech-language pathology services*
Medical social services
Medications
Medical supplies and equipment used in the facility
Ambulance transportation (when other transportation endangers health) to the nearest supplier of needed services that aren’t available at the SNF
Dietary counseling
*Medicare covers these services if they're needed to meet your health goal.
Note
Medicare covers swing bed services:
In certain hospitals
When the hospital or critical access hospital (CAH) has entered into a "swing-bed" agreement with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). With a "swing-bed" agreement, the facility can "swing" its beds and provide either acute hospital or SNF-level care, as needed.
When swing beds are used to furnish SNF-level care, the same coverage and cost-sharing rules apply as though the services were furnished in a SNF.
If you're in a SNF, there may be situations where you need to be readmitted to the hospital. If this happens, there's no guarantee that a bed will be available for you at the same SNF if you need more skilled care after your hospital stay. Ask the SNF if it will hold a bed for you if you must go back to the hospital. Also, ask if there's a cost to hold the bed for you.
Who's eligible?
People with Medicare are covered if they meet all of these conditions:
You have Part A and have days left in your benefit period.
You have a qualifying hospital stay.
Your doctor has decided that you need daily skilled care given by, or under the direct supervision of, skilled nursing or therapy staff. If you're in the SNF for skilled rehabilitation services only, your care is considered daily care even if these therapy services are offered just 5 or 6 days a week, as long as you need and get the therapy services each day they're offered.
You get these skilled services in a SNF that's certified by Medicare.
You need these skilled services for a medical condition that was either:
A hospital-related medical condition.
A condition that started while you were getting care in the skilled nursing facility for a hospital-related medical condition.
Your doctor may order observation services to help decide whether you need to be admitted to the hospital as an inpatient or can be discharged. During the time you're getting observation services in the hospital, you're considered an outpatient—you can't count this time towards the 3-day inpatient hospital stay needed for Medicare to cover your SNF stay. Find out if you're an inpatient or an outpatient.
Here are some common hospital situations that may affect your SNF coverage:
Situation Is my SNF stay covered?
Example #1 You came to the Emergency Department (ED) and were formally admitted to the hospital with a doctor’s order as an inpatient for 3 days. You were discharged on the 4th day. Yes. You met the 3-day inpatient hospital stay requirement for a covered SNF stay.
Example #2 You came to the ED and spent one day getting observation services. Then, you were formally admitted to the hospital as an inpatient for 2 more days. No. Even though you spent 3 days in the hospital, you were considered an outpatient while getting ED and observation services. These days don’t count toward the 3-day inpatient hospital stay requirement.
Remember, any days you spend in a hospital as an outpatient (before you’re formally admitted as an inpatient based on the doctor’s order) aren’t counted as inpatient days. An inpatient stay begins on the day you’re formally admitted to a hospital with a doctor’s order. That’s your first inpatient day. The day of discharge doesn’t count as an inpatient day.
Note
If you refuse your daily skilled care or therapy, you may lose your Medicare SNF coverage. If your condition won't allow you to get skilled care (like if you get the flu), you may be able to continue to get Medicare coverage temporarily.
Your costs in Original Medicare
You pay:
Days 1–20: $0 for each benefit period.
Days 21–100: $164.50 coinsurance per day of each benefit period.
Days 101 and beyond: all costs.
Note
If you stop getting skilled care in the SNF, or leave the SNF altogether, your SNF coverage may be affected depending on how long your break in SNF care lasts.
If your break in skilled care lasts more than 30 days, you need a new 3-day hospital stay to qualify for additional SNF care. The new hospital stay doesn’t need to be for the same condition that you were treated for during your previous stay.
If your break in skilled care lasts for at least 60 days in a row, this ends your current benefit period and renews your SNF benefits. This means that the maximum coverage available would be up to 100 days of SNF benefits.
Note
Your doctor or other health care provider may recommend you get services more often than Medicare covers. Or, they may recommend services that Medicare doesn’t cover. If this happens, you may have to pay some or all of the costs. It’s important to ask questions so you understand why your doctor is recommending certain services and whether Medicare will pay for them.

Who authorised the switch? That person might be the one with the insurance map..?

Me, I'd go back to UH and ask them where you go to find out. And/or give them an inventory of the medications and tell them they can find out - ! Squeaky wheel time.

Yes, squeaky wheel time.
,
I am so sorry you have to deal with this. I've heard many caregivers say the worst task they had to deal with was interacting with insurance companies. What does that say about how screwed up our healthcare payment system is?

Adam, just to remember that this your father's bill, not yours.

Guestshopadmin,
Well Thank You! I now have answers to a few questions I had too. Whoop Whoop!

Isn't Part A hospital insurance? Was dad in the hospital earlier this year?

I believe that task will be yours. You will have to call UH. Make notes of who you talk to and dates because this will take a lot of time and patience on your part.
Good luck!
Yes Part A covers hospitalization, Part D has to be signed up for. 

I think you may be penalized if you do not sign up for part D when you are eligible for Medicare. I am not sure because I was still coved by my employer and when i retired took a supplemental that had drug coverage

Clarification: apparently Medicare A only covers 100 days of meds, and his AARP supplement doesn't appear to cover prescriptions.

So, it turns out Medicare A expires after 100 days. We are now looking into a Medicare D policy...