Buying a lift chair is an expensive affair and anyone thinking of getting one needs all the help he can get. Medicare coverage is one such avenue of financial assistance.
Lift chairs are a modern-day aid, which allow senior citizens to sit safely and get up, and are quite popular these days. A motorized lifting base of this mobility device props an individual sitting on it to a standing position in no time. It is a very safe contraption and you can even get financial assistance as you get medicare benefit. These chairs come in different shapes and sizes to accommodate occupants of varied shapes and weights. They benefit seniors who have rheumatoid and arthritis problems and find it difficult to put pressure on their joints. They range from USD 400 and can go above USD 1000, but you can avail medicare benefits or medical insurance if you are thinking about getting one.
In the early 1980s, there were lift chairs, which had a spring mechanism that controlled their movement, but this was considered unsafe. The new ones have a motorized mechanism, which allows their movement in an arc motion. This assists an individual to settle in a chair in a safe manner, and the motion also permits him to stand up safely. This seat lift mechanism is considered medically necessary and covered by medicare. This coverage is limited to this mechanism and does not extend to the full chair. The reimbursement offered for this mechanism is around USD 275. There is a list of criteria that a person must fulfill in order to qualify for it.
The eligibility requirements are:
- The person should be an arthritis patient to qualify for the coverage. Arthritis of the hip and knee or other ambulatory disorders, which make a person unable to stand up or sit on his own, can apply for compensation. A person who is just facing difficulty getting up from the normal chairs at home and does not have any other problems does not qualify under medicare eligibility rules.
- Someone who applies for reimbursement should be able to walk on his own accord without the assistance of a caretaker, once he is out of the chair. These are for people who have difficulty in sitting on one and then getting up from it; they are not for those with total disabilities.
- A physician’s prescription is required to receive compensation, and most of the dealers will have an easy-to-fill form for this purpose. The lift chair must be a part of the treatment plan of a physician to improve movement in a patient or restrict further damage, only then it will be covered under medicare.
- Chairs, which facilitate smooth movement of a patient from a sitting position to a standing position, will be covered. The operation of this lift mechanism has to be controlled by the patients, and they getting in and out of one unassisted is an important criterion.
You will need to fulfill all the above criteria to qualify for compensation. Nowadays, affordable health insurance that fulfills all medical emergency needs is difficult to come by, hence making medicare an important ally. In most cases, in order to avoid delay of medical assistance, people buy the chairs and then apply for reimbursement. In such a scenario, you will need to keep the original receipts of purchase and the doctor’s prescription to meet the eligibility criteria.
