This is one of the most searched questions in our trade, and a lot of the pages answering it are vague in a way that wastes people’s time. So, plainly:
Original Medicare generally does not pay for a stairlift.
Why not
It comes down to a definition rather than a judgement about whether you need one. Medicare Part B covers durable medical equipment that is medically necessary for use in the home. A stairlift is generally treated as a home modification, because it attaches to the structure of the house and stays with it.
Walkers, wheelchairs, hospital beds and patient lifts sit inside the DME definition. Something bolted to your staircase sits outside it.
Check your own plan rather than take our word for it. Some Medicare Advantage plans have added home-modification benefits in recent years, and those vary by plan and by year. Your plan documents are the authority, not a company selling stairlifts.
Routes that do pay, that people miss
VA benefits. We are a federal contractor and approved vendor to the VA, working with dozens of medical centers. We cannot tell you what the VA will approve for you, because your care team starts that process. What we can tell you is what we have been contracted to supply before, and that if your equipment is already approved you can request a specific provider by name.
Medicaid. Depends entirely on the state and the programme. Some states, some equipment, some waiver programmes. We will tell you honestly whether yours is likely to qualify rather than start paperwork that goes nowhere.
Homeowners insurance. This one genuinely surprises people. Where equipment has been damaged by a storm, a power surge or similar, homeowners policies have paid to replace stairlifts and platform lifts. If yours has been damaged, start a claim and give us the claim number.
Workers compensation. After a work-related injury, workers comp has paid for stairlifts and platform lifts to be installed. If you have an open claim, we work with adjusters regularly.
Financing. Monthly payments rather than the whole cost at once. Ask on the first call and we will tell you what is available and what it costs over the term, not just per month.
What we do not do
We do not yet bill health insurance. We would rather say that on the first call than discover it three weeks into a process.
If you want to work through which of these applies to your situation, that conversation is free and carries no obligation. Our financing page lays out all seven routes in one place.
What Medicare does cover, so you can tell the difference
The line is not arbitrary once you see it. Medicare Part B covers equipment that is portable, used for a medical purpose, and not attached to the building. So wheelchairs, walkers, rollators, hospital beds, patient lifts and commodes are inside the definition.
A stairlift, a ramp, a platform lift, a widened doorway and a grab bar are all fixed to the structure, so they fall outside it. That is why a hospital bed is covered and the grab bar beside it is not, which strikes most people as strange until the rule is explained.
If you are shopping for the covered category rather than the fixed one, a supplier who bills Medicare is who you want. We do not yet bill health insurance, and we would rather say that now than three weeks into a process.
Medicare Advantage is the exception worth checking
Some Medicare Advantage plans have added supplemental home-modification benefits in recent years. Coverage varies by insurer, by plan and by year, and it is the one route where the answer genuinely might be yes.
Call the number on your card and ask specifically whether home modifications or stair lifts are covered under your plan for this benefit year. Ask for it in writing. If they say yes, ask what documentation they need, because a letter of medical necessity from your physician is usually part of it.
What we can and cannot tell you about the VA
We are a federal contractor and an approved vendor. What we cannot do is tell you what the VA will approve, because that determination is not ours to make and anybody who promises you otherwise is guessing.
What we can tell you is that VA work reaches us as authorised work orders, that we have supplied stairlifts, ramps, grab bars and bathroom safety through that route before, and that if your equipment has already been approved you are allowed to ask for a specific provider by name. Our veterans page sets out how that works and gives you the exact sentence to use.
Equipment you can simply buy
Some of what people are looking for when they ask this question is not a stairlift at all. Walkers, rollators, transport chairs, shower seating and grab bars are all things you can order today from our shop with free shipping, without waiting on a coverage determination from anybody.
