In this guide 3 sections
Equipment is where independence lives. The right walker is the difference between moving through the house and sitting still in it; the right bed is the difference between sleeping at home and not being home at all. Medicare's equipment benefit is genuinely broad — and procedurally fussy in ways that surprise families at the worst moments.
The four rules
- 1.It starts with the doctor — equipment is prescribed, not shopped for. The order and chart notes must document why it's medically needed at home.
- 2.The supplier must be Medicare-enrolled and accepting assignment — buy from the wrong storefront or website and Medicare pays nothing, with no appeal that fixes it.
- 3.Rental versus purchase is set by item type — inexpensive items are bought; bigger items like hospital beds and wheelchairs typically rent over a defined period. The supplier handles maintenance during rental, which is a feature, not a nuisance.
- 4.Some items need prior authorization or recent face-to-face visits — power wheelchairs especially. The supplier should know; the family should verify before delivery, not after the bill.
What's covered — and the famous gaps
- Covered when medically needed: walkers and rollators, manual and power wheelchairs, hospital beds, oxygen equipment, patient lifts, commodes, CPAP machines, diabetic supplies, prosthetics and braces.
- Bathroom safety equipment — grab bars and shower chairs — is often NOT covered by Original Medicare, being classed as convenience items. Some Medicare Advantage plans do cover them; so do many local aging programs.
- Hearing aids — Original Medicare doesn't cover them by law. Paths: Medicare Advantage hearing benefits, over-the-counter hearing aids for milder loss, and discount programs. Untreated hearing loss feeds isolation and cognitive decline, so this gap is worth solving deliberately rather than accepting.
- Repairs and replacement — covered for equipment Medicare paid for, including replacement after loss or irreparable damage. Keep using a supplier that answers the phone; service quality varies wildly.
Alone versus advocated
The need appears
- Going it alone
- A walker from a random website — denied
- With an advocate
- Order, documentation and enrolled supplier lined up
Power wheelchair
- Going it alone
- Months lost to a missing prior authorization
- With an advocate
- Requirements confirmed upfront; delivery tracked
After discharge
- Going it alone
- The bed arrives three days after the patient
- With an advocate
- Equipment at the house before the patient is
Repairs
- Going it alone
- A dead battery and an unanswered phone
- With an advocate
- Supplier held to the rental's service obligations
| The moment | Going it alone | With an advocate |
|---|---|---|
| The need appears | A walker from a random website — denied | Order, documentation and enrolled supplier lined up |
| Power wheelchair | Months lost to a missing prior authorization | Requirements confirmed upfront; delivery tracked |
| After discharge | The bed arrives three days after the patient | Equipment at the house before the patient is |
| Repairs | A dead battery and an unanswered phone | Supplier held to the rental's service obligations |
Questions families ask
How much will a hospital bed actually cost us?
Under Part B: Medicare pays 80% of the approved rental amount, the patient owes 20% — often covered by supplemental insurance. The dollar figures are modest when the four rules are followed and catastrophic when they aren't, which is the entire game.
Can we just buy a used wheelchair and skip the process?
You can — out of pocket, and sometimes that's genuinely simpler for basic items. The process earns its friction for expensive equipment: proper fitting, coverage, maintenance and replacement rights. For anything powered or long-term, do it properly.
Who fixes home safety beyond equipment — ramps, rails, lighting?
A patchwork: some Medicare Advantage plans include safety modifications, many Area Agencies on Aging run home-modification programs, and veterans may have separate benefits. An advocate stitches the patchwork into an actual safer house.
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