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Under the Social Security Act, some durable medical equipment can be covered by your health insurance provided by Medicare. Durable medical equipment is usually classified as reusable medical equipment and can include anything from walkers and wheelchairs to blood glucose monitors. If you have Medicare Part B, this means that you qualify for the aforementioned tools.
Although Part B of Medicare is rather comprehensive and covers a wide range of durable medical equipment, it doesn’t take account of medical equipment that is not medically necessary as defined by the criteria of the government. If your doctor or training practitioner didn’t prescribe it to you, it cannot be legitimately included among the durable medical equipment that is covered under Medicare.
What happens when you need an air purifier, a catheter or bed lifter--two things which are not covered Medicare’s terms--but you cannot afford it yourself? This is a dilemma that some people do run into. If you cannot get a doctor’s prescription to prove that you absolutely need a durable medical supply, it doesn’t mean that you should not get it at all. There are cost-effective ways to get the durable medical equipment you need without breaking your bank account.
A really good way is to opt for used or refurbished medical equipment rather than new ones. Used medical equipment can get a bad reputation for the mere fact that they have been pre-owned but these are mostly unfounded and untrue. If you go to the right source, most of the time, they are just as effective and cost a fraction of the bill you would receive from buying it brand new.
You can either rent your durable medical equipment from suppliers and return it at a specified date or you can buy it completely on an auction site like eBay. Simply put in your bid and compete with other buyers for the same product. If the price point gets to be too high, you can refrain from your bidding and move on to another product. The positive thing about participating in online auctions is that selection is great. With the amount of vendors and suppliers moving to the web, you will have a wide number of options to choose from--price and quality.
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