Does Medicare pay for Wheelchairs?

Are they rented or is it a purchase?

Medicare starts with wheelchair coverage on a rental basis. If the length of time that is needed for the wheelchair starts to exceed the total price of the wheelchair, the patient is given the option to buy it with no further payments. However, it then becomes the resposibility of the owner to pay for any repairs that need to be made. Yet, what is tricky in this situation is that even after that time, the rental company can no longer charge for the wheelchair (to either the owner or to medicare). It can remain as a "rental" to the patient. The benefit of this is that if anything ever goes wrong, the provider fixes or relaces it at no cost to the patient. I always advise people to keep their wheel chairs as a "permanent rental"...they are not required to make payments and still get "coverage" on the wheelchair.

This information is related to manual wheelchairs in the non-custom category. If a power chair or custom chair is required, it takes further evaluation to determine eligibility. It is usually a team effort between a vendor, a PT, and a doctor.

Call and ask

Some kinds of wheelchairs, they will pay for. Call them and ask for a brochure of makes and models that they wil cover.

Sometimes. You have to ask your MD for a PT consult. If they approve you AND it's approved by Medicare, you should be able to get one. I'm not sure whether Medicaid will boy or rent it, but you have either option if you are paying out of pocket.

In order for medicare to pay for a wheelchair, certain qualifications have to be met -- it would be best to see an occupational therapist, and have them do the paperwork and everything -- they will evaluate you, maybe treat you a bit . . . and, if needed, they will recommend a wheelchair, and apply with medicare.

Sometimes, it can take a while, though, for the approval.

If they are diagnostic... Make sure your physician uses a "covering" ICD-9 code for you wheelchair order.

yes it can pay for the purchase
and not to rent it.