If you need assistance in paying for medical equipment:

• Ask the doctor to write an order for a home evaluation (assessment), including an evaluation of needed equipment.
• Find out if the equipment is partly or completely covered by private health insurance with home care benefits.
• Check state retirement and union programs.

Medicare does not help pay for assistive devices, but does pay for durable medical equipment in some cases. To be covered, the equipment must be prescribed by a doctor and it must be medically necessary. It must be useful only to the sick or injured person and must be reusable. Medicare will pay for the rental of certain items for no more than 15 months. After that time you may buy the equipment from the supplier. If the person in your care has met the deductible, Medicare will pay 80 percent of the approved charges on the rental, purchase, and service of equipment that the doctor has ordered.