The Center for Disease Control and Prevention warned that most nonfatal injuries increase with age, and most of those injuries happen due to falls. That is why it is essential to install safety rails in the bathroom to keep older people safe and protected from falling. However, does Medicare cover toilet safety rails? Before we answer that question, we will first discuss what bathroom safety rails are and how they can be associated with Medicare.
What Are Bathroom Safety Rails?
Bathroom safety rails are key components in the bathroom or toilet to protect older people from falling. They are often placed on the walls of the toilet. They are like bars that older people hold on to when maneuvering their way to the bathroom. Bathroom safety rails are very specific terms when it comes to Medicare. If you want to know if the answer is probably yes, does Medicare covers toilet safety rails, and the answer is probably yes.
To give you a wider perspective, bathroom rails falls under the bathroom safety devices. They are devices wherein it provides safety around the toilet. Bathroom devices often include grab bars for the walls, shower chairs, a raised toilet seat, and a showerhead that can be held, which allows you to get bathed while seated. These are some of the few devices that fall under bathroom safety devices.
What is Medicare?
Medicare is an insurance program specifically for:
- People ages 65 or older
- Young people with disabilities
- People with permanent kidney failure and goes through dialysis
What Are the Different Medicare Plans?
Before answering the question, “Does Medicare cover toilet safety rails?” let’s know first about the plans Medicare offers. Medicare comprises of different plans, from Plan A, Plan B, and Plan D. Each plan covers specific areas. Plans cover:
Plan Medicare A: Hospital Insurance
This plan covers the stay of the patient in the hospital, care in a nursing facility, hospital care, and some other home health care but not custodial or long-term care.
Plan Medicare B: Medical Insurance
Unlike hospital insurance, this type of insurance covers doctor’s fees, medical supplies, outpatient care, and other precautionary facilities. It covers healthcare service and preventive measures, ambulance services, durable medical equipment, other types of outpatient prescription drugs, and mental health coverage.
Plan D: Prescription Drug Treatment
It is just an additional coverage to your already enrolled plan. The coverage covers:
- Your original Medicare
- Medicare cost plans
- Several Medicare Private-Fee-for-Service Plans
- Medical Savings Account Plans
These plans are mostly offered by private insurance companies that are permitted by Medicare. Medicare Advantage plans may still offer coverage for drugs as long as they follow the same protocol as Medicare prescription drug plans.
What Isn’t Protected By Medicare?
The biggest drawback when it comes to Medicare is they don’t cover long-term care or custodial care. Custodial costs are often covered by Medicaid, a federal program for the poor that pays for it. However, they are only for low-income people with little earnings.
There are also other expenses that Medicare doesn’t cover. This include:
- Hearing expenses such as hearing aids, exams, and fitting fees
- Eye examinations and eyeglasses
- Most Dental cares
- Overseas medical care
- Cosmetic Surgery
- Dentures
- Massage therapy
- Acupuncture
The Advantages of Medicare Plans
Like some other insurance plans, Medicare also comes with so many advantages. Enrolling in the Original Medicare plans include:
Low Monthly Premium
One of the best things about the Original Medicare plans, it offers respectable monthly fees. For most people receiving Social security benefits, you are more likely to pay $130 a month for their Medicare part B during 2018. In most cases, you are to pay higher if you earn more.
Wider Acceptance
Original Medicare offers a broad range of flexibility when it comes to choosing the best healthcare provider. Almost all doctors, hospital, health care facilities and other health care providers in America agrees with Medicare.
The Disadvantage of Medicare Plans
Despite all the advantages offered by enrolling in Medicare plans. The program still has a disadvantage:
Uncovered Expenses
The original Medicare plans don’t mostly cover hearing, visual, and dental problems. If you have appointments for these medical expenses, they aren’t covered by the original Medicare plan.
Does Medicare Cover Toilet Safety Rails?
Medicare Advantage plans are the substitute for your original Medicare plan. They are usually offered by most private companies that are accredited by Medicare. Advantages of Medicare don’t necessarily mean that you don’t get the original. Medicare plan only means that there are plans that have added benefits when you enroll in some of it, like plan A, B, C, and D. Technically, it is still Medicare but with different kinds of benefits in different kinds of plans. Medicare Advantage may cover :
- Physical devices used in the bathroom for safety measures such as a bar or rail
- Installation of these bathroom devices
- An in-home bathroom inspection for safety done by a qualified professional
Does Medicare cover toilet safety rails? Bathroom safety devices are covered as long as a licensed physician prescribes it. Lucky for you, Medicare Care Part B covers Durable medical equipment. However, for your bathroom safety devices to be covered by Medicare, you must have a prescription for the following:
- Durable Medical Equipment
- Must be used at home only
- Essential Medical Purpose
- Useful equipment when hurt or sick
Conclusion
Proper care must be given to our elderly and our loved ones with disabilities. Medicare is a simple solution that can fix the possibility of falling. So, does Medicare cover toilet safety rails? Yes. They are considered medical equipment that improves the quality of life for the elderly and people with disabilities. As long as your physician prescribes toilet safety rails, they should abide by the protocol written above. Here’s how to learn more about Toilet Safety Rails.