Covid-19 is forcing families to rethink nursing home care. Even before the pandemic, rampant antibiotic-resistant infections and systemic issues which make choosing a good nursing home difficult gave many families pause. Now, after seeing the toll Covid-19 has taken on occupancy and the distress isolated loved ones have suffered, people are looking at ways to keep family members at home for longer. One way to achieve this is to rent a hospital bed.
Choosing the Right Bed
The adjustability of a hospital bed allows those with limited mobility to operate more independently. Both the head and foot as well as the height, itself, can be raised or lowered on most bed and rails are an optional add-on that protect a loved one from falls. There are four different types of hospital beds and each varies in function and price.
1. Manual
Manual hospital beds are, of course, the most affordable option. Operated using a hand crank, different models provide more or less adjustability but all share in requiring the user to have a certain amount of strength.
2. Semi-Electric
By contrast, a semi-electric bed allows some features, like head and foot height, to be adjusted with the push of a button while others, like bed height, still rely on a manual crank.
3. Electric
A fully electric bed can be completely adjusted with a remote control and, naturally, is among the more expensive options as a result.
4. Special Needs
Beds also exist to accommodate those with special needs. A bariatric bed, for instance, is designed to accommodate heavier individuals while a Trendelenburg bed offers added adjustability for less mobile patients.
Paying for a Rented Hospital Bed
Many options exist for covering the cost of a hospital bed rental and this is a good thing because the price can range from $200 to $500 per month.
Those enrolled in Medicare Part B and who have a prescription from a physician can have 80% of the cost of their bed rental covered. However, Medicare will only provide a manually operated bed unless electrical functions are deemed medically necessary.
Veteran’s benefits provided by the Veterans Administration likewise cover hospital bed rentals but, like Medicare, require that a patient have a prescription stating that the bed is medically necessary.
Lastly, those who qualify for Medicaid can also count on the cost of renting a hospital bed being covered. State legislation varies concerning who may gain Medicaid coverage and so it is important to speak to an experienced elder law attorney if you think you may need Medicaid either now or in the future.
Determining how or whether to rent a hospital bed is only one among a host of tasks required of families seeking to provide care for loved ones with long-term care needs. Building a plan to organize and ensure all aspects of such care are covered is an indispensable part of the process and working with an elder law attorney can help.
For more on this or any other subject related to estate planning or elder law, do not hesitate to reach out to the Deliberato Law Center either by calling our office at (216) 341-3413 or writing us using the contact form on our website.
Contact the Estate Planning Attorneys at Deliberato Law Center
Recent Comments