Does Medicare Cover Hospital Beds?

Medicare Part B medical insurance will cover a home hospital bed if your doctor prescribes it as a medical necessity for you. You must be enrolled in Medicare Part B but will still be responsible for some out-of-pocket costs.

Medicare classifies home hospital beds as durable medical equipment (DME).

While hospital beds are considered adjustable beds, Medicare does not consider all adjustable beds to be durable medical equipment and may not cover them.

Be sure to check with your doctor, supplier and Medicare to make sure the bed you are buying or renting is covered and that your doctor and supplier are both enrolled in Medicare.

If they are not, Medicare will not pay any claims they submit, and you may have to pay all costs yourself.

Medicare may require you to buy the bed, rent it or give you a choice between buying or renting. You’ll have to follow Medicare’s direction before it will cover costs associated with the bed.

If you meet eligibility criteria for a home hospital bed, Medicare will pay 80 percent of the cost. You will have to pay 20 percent of the Medicare-approved cost after you pay your Medicare Part B deductible.

A Medigap — Medicare Supplement insurance — policy may help pay for some of your out-of-pocket costs. Check with your Medigap plan’s administrator for complete details.

A Medicare Advantage plan is required to cover everything Original Medicare — Medicare Part A and Part B — covers. But it may cover more of the cost than Medicare Part B.

Coverage varies from plan to plan, so you should check with your Medicare Advantage plan administrator to determine your coverage. You should also make sure that your plan will cover a bed from your supplier.

A home hospital bed can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to several thousand, depending on the type and its features. Depending on the cost, Medicare may opt to pay for renting a bed — or may give you the choice to rent it.

Medicare often applies this option for more expensive durable medical equipment.

If you rent a home hospital bed, you would rent it for 13 months. During this time, the supplier is required to perform all maintenance and repairs the bed may require.

After 13 months, you would own the bed outright.

There are several sources of financial assistance available for people who may have a difficult time paying their share of a needed home hospital bed under Medicare.

You may also find local nonprofit organizations or charities that may help with financial assistance. Talk to your religious community leaders or contact your local United Way office about charities in your area that might help.