Does Medicare cover stair lifts?

Why doesn't Medicare cover stair lifts?

Medicare doesn't cover stair lifts because they don't meet its definition of durable medical equipment (DME). To count as DME, equipment must withstand repeated use, be primarily and customarily used to serve a medical purpose, generally not be useful to a person without an illness or injury, and be appropriate for use in the home, and all of these requirements must be met.

CMS's Medicare Benefit Policy Manual says equipment that basically serves comfort or convenience functions, or is mainly for the convenience of a person caring for the patient, such as elevators, stairway elevators and posture chairs, doesn't count as medical equipment. CMS's DME reference list denies both stairway elevators and elevators as convenience items that aren't primarily medical in nature.

What does Medicare cover to help me get around at home?

Medicare Part B covers mobility assistive equipment, which CMS says includes canes, crutches, walkers, manual wheelchairs, power wheelchairs and scooters. CMS covers this equipment for people with a mobility limitation that significantly impairs their participation in mobility-related activities of daily living, such as toileting, feeding, dressing, grooming and bathing, in customary locations in the home. Part B covers medically necessary DME if your provider prescribes it for use in your home.

CMS's clinical criteria consider your home itself, including its physical layout, surfaces and obstacles, when deciding which equipment you can use there. Medicare.gov's DME booklet lists power wheelchairs and scooters as covered when they're needed for use inside the home. See how Medicare covers walkers and canes and how Medicare covers wheelchairs and scooters.

What if I can't get up the stairs to the bathroom?

Medicare may cover a commode chair. CMS's DME reference list says payment may be made for a commode if your medical condition confines you to one floor of your home and there's no bathroom on that floor. A commode chair is covered under Part B as DME. See what Medicare covers for bathroom equipment.

What do I pay for covered mobility equipment?

After you meet the Part B deductible ($283 in 2026), you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for covered DME, if your supplier accepts assignment. Medicare only pays for DME from suppliers enrolled in Medicare.

Medicare pays for most DME on a rental basis and only buys inexpensive or routinely bought items, like canes and walkers, or complex rehabilitative power wheelchairs. For some more expensive equipment, like wheelchairs and hospital beds, Medicare pays to rent the item for 13 months of continuous use, and then the supplier must transfer ownership of the equipment to you.

What other home equipment doesn't Medicare cover?

CMS's DME reference list and Medicare Benefit Policy Manual also deny several other home items that people often ask about:

• Elevators and stairway elevators: convenience items
• Bathtub lifts: convenience items
• Bathtub seats: comfort or convenience items and hygienic equipment
• Grab bars: self-help devices
• Raised toilet seats: convenience items and hygienic equipment
• Bed lifters (bed elevators): not primarily medical in nature
• Posture chairs: comfort or convenience equipment

Does Medicare Advantage or Medigap cover stair lifts?

Medicare Advantage plans must cover all medically necessary services that Original Medicare covers, including the same medically necessary categories of DME, and plans may also offer extra benefits that Original Medicare doesn't cover. Benefits, suppliers and costs vary by plan, so check the plan's Evidence of Coverage. Medigap plans help cover your share of costs for services that Original Medicare covers, and Original Medicare doesn't cover stair lifts.