Medicare Coverage for Home Modifications

Medicare Coverage for Home Modifications

One of the major questions we get asked in the field of home modifications and aging in place accessibility is “What does Medicare cover?”.

That is a very valid question; but unfortunately answering it is not so simple.

We hope to simplify and clarify some of the basics when it comes to Medicare and home modifications.

We will keep it quite simple over here to stick to the basic standards. There are exceptions and special circumstances where someone can get more to be covered but each case will be so individual that we cannot possibly go through all situations over here.

Therefore, we decided to provide you with the general “rules” as well as some leads to further resources where you can hopefully find out what you can get covered for your unique case.

 

What does Medicare Cover?

According to Medicare Interactive (a provider education center for Medicare rules, regulations and standards):

“Medicare never covers home modifications, such as ramps or widened doors for improving wheelchair access. Though your doctor may suggest that home modifications may help due to your medical condition, Medicare does not include coverage for them under its durable medical equipment (DME) benefit. Medicare also does not cover assistive devices, such as large-button telephones or flashing doorbell signals.”

 

In other words, Medicare will generally not cover structural changes or modifications to make the home more accessible. What they do cover though, are some very specific and basic pieces of equipment which they term “Durable Medical Equipment.”

 

Durable Medical Equipment

The exact definition of Durable Medical Equipment is:

Medicare Part B covers durable medical equipment (DME), which is equipment that serves a medical purpose, is able to withstand repeated use, and is appropriate for use in the home.”

 

Some examples include:

 

To search if a different item or service that you have in mind is covered, use the search feature on the Medicare Website as linked over here.

 

Conclusion

Those are the basics when it comes to Medicare coverage. Unfortunately, many services and pieces of adaptive equipment which would increase safety and independence in the home are not Medicare’s priority.

But, if you read through many of our posts where we go through different rooms in the home with tips and solutions for increasing accessibility, you can find the best and cheapest options to purchase on your own. And the best part about it is that we did the research for you! Following are just a few of the links to our posts with different practical, useful and positively reviewed devices which can make all the difference to the safety and independence in your home.

 

That’s that for Medicare Coverage for Home Modifications.

We hope this was helpful!

 

As always, contact us with any comments/questions.

 

To safe and happy homes,

Golda

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