Before buying a rollator walker or any expensive adaptive living product, you need to first research whether Medicare is going to cover it. You do not want to buy an expensive rollator only to be told by Medicare that they do not cover it and as such you are on your own, do you?
It is important to note that Medicare only covers durable medical equipment (DMEs) from doctors or suppliers who are enrolled in Medicare. The good thing with buying your rollators from such suppliers is that your repairs and replacement of parts is also going to be covered by Medicare with no extra cost on you.
We first came up with this conclusion when we were buying our u-step walker for the Parkinson’s patients. Since it is an expensive mobility gadget, we wanted to know whether Medicare would cover up the cost after we purchased it. (Their covering 80% of the cost was really a welcome)
If not, we would have looked for a donation or even rental from elsewhere. But we do not like the latter two since you are most probably going to end up with and old, used and rickety gadget that does not do much in helping with gait freezing or reducing the risk of patient falls.
Checking Whether Your Provider is a Medicare-Approved Walker Supplier
So how do you check whether your rollator is covered by medicare
- Comes with the ecommerce listing
Most of the rollators that sell on ecommerce stores will indicate whether they are covered by Medicare. This way even after you purchase the walker, you are assured of a refund by the insurance company.
- Ask friends or relatives who have bought the item
You could seek information from friends or family members who have previously bought the adaptive living product to tell you whether Medicare did indeed cover the product. Ask them whether they got a refund on their money after buying the gadget.
- Make a quick call with Medicare
Why not just make a quick call with one of the representatives and ask whether they cover the rollator in question. They are tactful individuals, and they will surely provide you with all the information that you need to know.
- Ask the company
You could ask the company selling the rollators whether Medicare covers that type of rollator. Unless they are con artists, they will give you the right information. In case they lie, you can always write a review about them and tell other people not to trust them because they are frauds.
No serious rollator company that wishes to make a good impression and maintain a clean reputation would dare cheat since their survival would be on the line.
How often will Medicare pay for a Walker
Medicare will cover 80% of the cost to get you a walker while you pay the remaining 20%. It will also pay for all repairs and replacements as long as you use a supplier who has enrolled into Medicare. Th cover for repairs for one walker go as far as 5 years.
When replacing one walker, they will not pay for an upgrade i.e. they will only cover when you are replacing one manual walker with another and not when you move from manual to electric. The replacement is only done when no more repairs can be done.