This bill adds certain "fall prevention items" to the list of items Medicare may cover. It amends the Social Security Act to define fall prevention items to include grab bars, non-slip mats, shower chairs, bed rails, and other items the Secretary may specify. The bill also changes an exclusion rule so that fall prevention items not furnished under an order from a physician or practitioner are excluded from payment. Finally, the bill says payments for these fall prevention items under Medicare will not be subject to any sequestration or automatic reductions. The changes take effect 60 days after the law is enacted.
If you are on Medicare, certain fall prevention items listed in the bill may become covered benefits. Examples named in the bill are grab bars, non-slip mats, shower chairs, and bed rails. Coverage appears to require an order from a physician or practitioner; items provided without such an order are excluded from payment. Payments for these items will be exempt from sequestration (automatic spending cuts). The coverage rules start 60 days after the bill becomes law.
The bill states that payments for the named fall prevention items shall not be subject to reductions from sequestration or similar automatic cuts. There is no publicly available information in the bill text or metadata about the total cost, budget impact, or how payments would be funded.
No publicly available information.
No publicly available information.