Medicare - Is Your Equipment Covered?

As we all know, home medical equipment is essential but can be very expensive. It may be possible to get Medicare coverage for some medical equipment and supplies. Here is a brief list of common items and whether or not they are covered by Medicare. We provide Medicare Billing as a courtesy to customers purchasing qualified products. We do not bill for items considered "capped rental" purchased on the Internet.

Items that may be covered include:

• Diabetic shoes and inserts, if they are custom-fitted by a podiatrist. You must seek local Medicare Biller.
  
• Lift chair seat mechanisms (costs are reimbursed), if the lift chair is deemed medically necessary. We file Medicare Claims for Lift Chairs.
  
• All Walkers. We file Medicare claims for all Walkers.
• Manual Wheelchairs. Covered as capped rental, seek local supplier.
  
• Power wheelchairs. We file Medicare non-assigned, meaning you pay up front.
  
• Splints and other orthotic equipment. We provide Medicare billing.
  
• Powered scooters if the patient cannot operate a manual wheelchair but can safely use a powered vehicle and if the patient needs a wheelchair or scooter to get around. We file Medicare Claims for Scooters as non-assigned, meaning you pay up-front.
  

Items that are not likely to be covered include:

• Adjustable beds. Only Hospital Bed is covered.
  
• Bedside tables.
  
• Compression hosiery
• Ramps or lifts
• Most bathroom equipment (including shower chairs, raised toilet seats, etc).

Some items qualify as capped rentals. This means that Medicare will pay 80 percent of the rental cost for 13 months of continuous use. Most insurance policies will pay the other 20 percent. You should seek a local dealer that provides this equipment, we do not bill Medicare for Capped Rentals over the Internet.

Some capped rental items include:

• CPAP (Continuous positive airway pressure) machines
• Semi Electric hospital beds
• Manual wheelchairs
• Nebulizers
• Oxygen concentrators
• Manual/hydraulic patient lifts (not stand-up patient lifts)
• Mattress overlays

This is only a partial list intended to provide a general idea of Medicare coverage. It is best to consult a medical supply company, an insurance provider or a Medicare representative for answers to specific questions. In these days of high costs, it is essential to get the most accurate and up-to-date information available on medical insurance coverage.

Find more Medicare Coverage information on our Medicare FAQ page.