If you need a lift chair for your current condition, your insurance can affect your options. Here is what to know about coverage for Medicare and lift chairs.
Are you struggling to get in and out of a chair due to your health changes?
Conditions such as arthritis, aging, or surgery can make it difficult to get in and out of the chair. However, if you're considering investing in a lift chair, you may have realized that a lift chair's entire cost is too much for you to afford.
Is there any connection between Medicare and lift chairs? This quick guide will help you to understand if Medicare covers the cost of lift chairs. Keep reading to learn more!
What Is a Lift Chair?
A lift chair is different from a stairlift or a patient lift. A stairlift carries someone up and down a staircase, while a patient lift helps caregivers move their patients from one area to the next.
A lift chair will have a similar appearance to an oversized fabric recliner or a leather recliner. A lift chair is a seated lift mechanism. This mechanism is responsible for tilting the back part of the chair and the chair's base forward.
A lift chair helps raise a person into standing by tilting and different positions. A lift chair will also help put a person back into a seated position.
Do You Have to Meet Certain Circumstances?
Medicare will cover the lift chair cost if you meet specific requirements.
Firstly, Medicare must determine that the lift chair's cost is a medical necessity. Determination is made when the following criteria are met:
- The patient has critical arthritis of their knees or their hips
- The patient has a severe neuromuscular disease
- the patient cannot stand up from a regular chair
- The patient can walk with the help of a cane or walker or walk on their own when standing up.
If a patient has to directly transfer to a wheelchair because they cannot walk or stand by themselves, Medicare will not cover the lift chair's cost.
Another reason Medicare will approve paying for the entire cost of a lift chair is if a physician recommends the lift chair as a course of treatment. A doctor has to suggest that the chair will slow the deterioration of the patient's condition or improve their current condition.
For this to be possible, the patient has to receive a Medical Necessity Certificate for seated mechanisms from the CMS.
Medicare And Lift Chairs: Understanding Your Coverage
Lift chairs are an excellent piece of medical equipment to use if you're struggling to stand up from a sitting position. Understanding the coverage of Medicare and lift chairs is very complicated. You need to understand several expectations to qualify for Medicare coverage.
Learning about how your current medical condition qualifies you and what could disqualify you is crucial, allowing you to avoid the hassle that comes with a denial of a Medicare claim.
If you qualify for Medicare but don't know where to start, we have licensed insurance agents ready to answer your questions and help you enroll in Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement Insurance, and Prescription Part D plans.
