Stair Chair Lift Medicare Coverage

The beneficiary must pay the remaining 20 plus the cost of the seat portion of the lift chair.

Stair chair lift medicare coverage.

Don t confuse a lift chair with a stair lift chair which is a motorized chair that takes you up and down the stairs. Does medicare cover stair lifts for the home. Medicare s part b includes coverage for durable medical equipment dme such as wheelchairs and walkers but stair lifts are usually not included in these benefits. Get help you need with medicare learn more.

While medicare typically won t pay for a lift chair in full medicare part b medical insurance or medicare part c medicare. To be considered medically necessary equipment a doctor must indicate the chair for the patient s specific health condition. Once the lift chair gets approval medicare covers 80 of the lifting mechanism. 09 12 2018 1 min read various types of durable medical equipment are covered under medicare part b.

In total medicare will pay for about 80 percent of the motorized device and you will pay for the remaining 20 percent as well as the costs for the rest of the chair. However equipment and services primarily used for self help convenience or personal comfort don t fit into medicare s definition of medically necessary durable medical equipment. Provided by medicare approved private insurance companies medicare advantage plans are required by law to offer the same coverage as original medicare. Lift chairs are also different from patient lifts which come in different forms and are used to help a caregiver or family member move you for example from a wheelchair to a bed.

Coverage info for patient lifts costs for home. Stair lifts can cost thousands of dollars and many seniors wonder if medicare will help cover the cost. Some medicare advantage plans may cover the cost of a stairlift. Medicare won t cover chairs that use a spring device to lift you out.

Will medicare pay for a lift chair. While patient lifts are listed on medicare s website as part of dme coverage stair lifts unfortunately do not fall into this category. The fabric cushion and other accessories aren t covered even though the device is built into the chair. As a result medicare does not cover it.

Part b will cover the actual seat lift mechanism only. Learn about patient lift coverage options with medicare. Medicare advantage plans are an additional way to receive medicare coverage. However lift chairs can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars leaving many medicare beneficiaries wondering if their medicare health insurance coverage will help pay any of the lift chair s costs.

Original medicare might pay for a small portion of the cost if the stair lift has an elevating seat which helps the rider to sit down and get up from the chair safely.