Medicare 2026

Medicare and Medical Equipment: How Coverage for Walkers, Wheelchairs and More Works

If a doctor has told you it's time for a walker, a wheelchair, a hospital bed or home oxygen, you probably have two questions: Will Medicare help pay? And how do I actually get the equipment? The good news is that Medicare does cover a wide range of what's called durable medical equipment, or DME. The details depend on which part of Medicare you have, who prescribes the item and where you buy or rent it. Here's a plain-English walkthrough.

What counts as durable medical equipment

Durable medical equipment is gear that is built to be used repeatedly, serves a medical purpose, and is appropriate for use in the home. Common examples include:

• Standard and rolling walkers
• Manual wheelchairs and, when medically necessary, power wheelchairs or scooters
• Hospital beds and pressure-reducing mattresses
• Home oxygen equipment and supplies
• Canes, crutches, commodes and patient lifts
• Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices for sleep apnea
• Blood sugar monitors and test strips

To be covered, the equipment has to be prescribed by your doctor (or another qualified clinician) for a medical reason, and it must be something you can use at home. Items designed only for use outside the home, or that are mainly for convenience, generally don't qualify.

How Original Medicare (Part B) pays

Durable medical equipment falls under Medicare Part B, the outpatient side of Original Medicare. Here's how the cost-sharing works:

1. You first meet the Part B deductible for the year. 2. After that, you generally pay 20 percent of the Medicare-approved amount for the equipment. 3. Medicare pays the remaining 80 percent directly to the supplier.

Some items are purchased outright; others are rented month to month, and some are "capped rentals" that you eventually own after a set number of rental months. Oxygen equipment follows its own rental rules. Medicare.gov has a searchable list of covered items and whether they are typically rented or purchased.

If you have a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policy, it can help pay some or all of the 20 percent coinsurance and the Part B deductible, depending on which Medigap plan you have.

Why "enrolled suppliers" and "assignment" matter

Medicare will only pay suppliers that are enrolled in the Medicare program. If you order a wheelchair or walker from a company that isn't enrolled, Medicare won't pay anything — and you could be stuck with the full bill.

Beyond enrollment, there's a second distinction worth knowing: assignment.

• A supplier that accepts assignment has agreed to accept the Medicare-approved amount as full payment. They cannot charge you more than that amount, aside from your deductible and 20 percent coinsurance.
• A supplier that is enrolled but does not accept assignment may charge more, and you could owe the difference out of pocket.

Before you order equipment, it's worth asking the supplier two questions: "Are you enrolled in Medicare?" and "Do you accept assignment on this item?" You can also look up suppliers on Medicare.gov.

In some areas of the country, Medicare uses a competitive bidding program for certain DME categories, which can affect which suppliers you use. The specifics vary, so check Medicare.gov for current rules in your situation.

How Medicare Advantage handles DME

Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans are offered by private insurance companies and must cover everything Original Medicare covers, including durable medical equipment. However, these plans typically have their own networks of DME suppliers and their own cost-sharing structures. You may need prior authorization for certain items — a power wheelchair, for instance — and you'll usually need to use a supplier in the plan's network.

If you're in a Medicare Advantage plan, check the plan's member materials or call the plan before you order equipment, so you know which supplier to use and what you'll pay.

Original Medicare vs. Medicare Advantage: a neutral look

When thinking about DME specifically, there are trade-offs either way:

• Original Medicare gives you broad access to any Medicare-enrolled supplier nationwide, with predictable 20 percent coinsurance after the deductible. Pairing it with a Medigap policy and a stand-alone Part D plan can make costs more predictable, but you pay separate premiums.
• Medicare Advantage bundles medical, usually drug, and often extra benefits into one plan, sometimes with lower monthly costs, but you generally use the plan's supplier network and may need prior authorization.

Neither is "better" — it depends on your priorities around network flexibility, out-of-pocket predictability and extra benefits.

A few program-level dates and numbers to keep in mind

• Annual Enrollment (Open Enrollment) for 2027 runs October 15 – December 7, 2026; choices take effect January 1, 2027.
• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027.
• The most any Part D plan may charge as a deductible in 2027 is $700.
• The Part D base beneficiary premium for 2027 is $41.33 (used in calculating the late-enrollment penalty; actual plan premiums vary).
• The Social Security Administration announced a 3.6 percent cost-of-living adjustment for benefits payable beginning January 2027.
• The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, have not yet been announced. CMS typically announces them in the fall.

If you have Medicaid or Extra Help, you have a monthly Special Enrollment Period to switch to Original Medicare with a stand-alone Part D plan, or to switch stand-alone Part D plans. Full-benefit dual-eligible individuals can also join an integrated Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) in any month.

Where to go next

For current coverage rules, to look up Medicare-enrolled suppliers, or to compare plans in your area, visit Medicare.gov. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you're unsure whether a specific item is covered, your doctor's office and the supplier can usually help confirm before you order.

This article is for educational purposes only. It is published by a privately owned Medicare education site and is not affiliated with Medicare or any government agency.