Will Medicare Pay For A Walk In Bathtub

09 12 2018 2 min read some seniors and disabled people get walk in bathtubs installed in their homes.

Will medicare pay for a walk in bathtub. With this being said walk in tubs are not yet approved as durable medical equipment dme under medicare part b. 2020 update mary white july 5 2020 july 5 2020. Therefore it will not pay for the cost of the tub itself or the cost of installing the tub. Medicare doesn t usually cover walk in bathtubs.

Medicare sometimes considers walk in tub as durable and effective medical equipment for senior who need special care when looking for a comfortable and safe bath. Although medicare expanded supplemental benefits in 2018 medicaid is still the more likely of the two programs to cover the costs of purchasing and installing a walk in bathtub. Walk in bathtubs are generally not covered by medicare because they are not considered durable medical equipment. Unlike hospital beds wheelchairs catheters blood glucose monitors or nebulizers a walk in bathtub can be used by anyone.

2020 update does medicare cover walk in tubs. Therefore original medicare will not pay for the cost of a walk in tub nor will they contribute to the cost of installation. Although walk in tubs are very helpful medicare doesn t classify them as durable medical equipment medically necessary durable and not useful to someone who isn t sick or disabled as such medicare won t usually contribute to the cost of a walk in tub or its installation. The cost of walk in tubs if you currently receive medicare benefits you may be wondering if your coverage will help pay some of the costs of a walk in tub.

Financial assistance however is by no means guaranteed. Medicare s policy on walk in bathtubs. Does medicare cover walk in bathtubs. If the tub is regarded as an absolute necessity with a written prescription there might be an option for some kind of reimbursement.

Walk in bathtubs may make access to the tub or shower easier and may prevent falls notes the consumer affairs website. Why won t medicare pay for a walk in tub. And those costs add up. Unfortunately medicare usually does not consider a walk in tub as durable medical equipment dme and will not be covered by your insurance.

The program covers products considered to be durable medical equipment i e durable equipment or devices that are medically required by a doctor to be used in the home and not typically useful to someone who isn t sick or disabled. Unfortunately for seniors medicare does not typically pay for a walk in tub. The united states federal government s healthcare program doesn t consider a walk in bathtub to be durable medical equipment dme. Unfortunately for most seniors walk in bathtubs are not considered to be durable medical equipment by original medicare.