Durable medical equipment (DME) coverage

Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance)

covers

medically necessary

DME if your doctor prescribes it for use in your home.

DME that Medicare covers includes, but isn't limited to:

Your costs in Original Medicare

If your supplier accepts

assignment

you pay 20% of the

Medicare-Approved Amount

, and the Part B

deductible [glossary]

applies. Medicare pays for different kinds of DME in different ways. Depending on the type of equipment:

You may need to rent the equipment.
You may need to buy the equipment.
You may be able to choose whether to rent or buy the equipment.

Medicare will only cover your DME if your doctors and DME suppliers are enrolled in Medicare. Doctors and suppliers have to meet strict standards to enroll and stay enrolled in Medicare. If your doctors or suppliers aren’t enrolled, Medicare won’t pay the claims submitted by them.

Make sure your doctors and DME suppliers are enrolled in Medicare. It’s important to ask your suppliers if they participate in Medicare before you get DME. If suppliers are participating suppliers, they must accept assignment (which means, they can charge you only the coinsurance and Part B deductible for the Medicare‑approved amount). If suppliers aren’t participating and don’t accept assignment, there’s no limit on the amount they can charge you. Medicare won’t pay claims for doctors or suppliers who aren’t enrolled in Medicare.

What it is

DME meets these criteria:

Durable (can withstand repeated use)
Used for a medical reason
Not usually useful to someone who isn't sick or injured
Used in your home
Generally has an expected lifetime of at least 3 years

Things to know

If you live in an area that's been declared a disaster or emergency, the usual rules for your medical care may change for a short time. Learn more about how to replace lost or damaged equipment in a disaster or emergency.

note:

To find out how much your test, item, or service will cost, talk to your doctor or health care provider. The specific amount you’ll owe may depend on several things, like:

Other insurance you may have
How much your doctor charges
Whether your doctor accepts assignment
The type of facility
Where you get your test, item, or service

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Durable medical equipment (DME) coverage

note:

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