Medicare doesn't pay for Walk-In Tubs. Why?

The Joker

The Joker

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I think they should unless you can prove your physically disabled or you're over 65.
 
Walk in tubs are not medically necessary unless proven by medical doctors so no I don't think Medicare should pay for them. It would bankrupt them if every Tom Dick and Jenny got one.

If I remember-- we renovated my grandparent's living space- and added a walk in shower (easier for my grandmother). No medical insurance or Medicare paid for it even though she suffered severe osteoporosis of the spine. my FAMILY paid for it.
 
over here nhs hearing aids are free if you below certain income you may get disability shower I assuming tub is that. nhs no fund it social service will but got jump through hoops to get it,but as is usual get people who take piss out of system get everything free and genuine people get overlooked.
Wet rooms are the thing now but I don't like them
 
My family attempted to see if medicaid would pay for a walk in tub for my mother since she's crippled. They refused, so my family dished out $8,000 to have a suitable shower so my mother can get in and out of it.
 
RisinDragon said:
My family attempted to see if medicaid would pay for a walk in tub for my mother since she's crippled. They refused, so my family dished out $8,000 to have a suitable shower so my mother can get in and out of it.
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I had clients that had a special shower bench in their bathtub and extra long and my client sat on it and I had to help them get their legs over the tub and I moved my client over so they would right under the shower. Then I washed them and got them out dried my client off then dressed them . My clients said they were tried after that and I did most of the work ! I loved it when there was a walk in shower but I had to careful not to get wet too.
That was a lot of money for a shower , but I know your mom is worth every penny and a ,lot more.
 
Why a walk in tub? Why is it necessary in the first place? Whats wrong with using your own shower/tub with acessiblity accessories tools to help you bathe easier?
 
Kai Onca said:
Why a walk in tub? Why is it necessary in the first place? Whats wrong with using your own shower/tub with acessiblity accessories tools to help you bathe easier?
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many average homes have a bathtub coupled as a shower... not bathtub and shower separately. for homes with shower... that would be easy to modify it with accessibility accessories unless the space inside is very small.

with a walk-in tub - you do not have to "climb" over the tub. you just walk in and sit. safe and easy. great for a person with limited mobility. walking over a tub can be very dangerous as one can slip and fall.... and break a hip or anything.

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When my daughter and son-in-law had their house built a couple years ago, the original house plans included separate small shower stall and large soaker tub for the master bathroom. Because SIL has only one leg when he's bathing, they preferred to eliminate the tub and make a larger shower instead, with handrails, and room enough for a bench seat. The few times SIL had to use a regular shower/tub combo when traveling were bad. No matter how careful he was, he fell in the tubs each time.

Try standing on one leg only as you hop in and out of a tub, and then standing on the one leg the whole time you are showering.
 
Reba said:
When my daughter and son-in-law had their house built a couple years ago, the original house plans included separate small shower stall and large soaker tub for the master bathroom. Because SIL has only one leg when he's bathing, they preferred to eliminate the tub and make a larger shower instead, with handrails, and room enough for a bench seat. The few times SIL had to use a regular shower/tub combo when traveling were bad. No matter how careful he was, he fell in the tubs each time.

Try standing on one leg only as you hop in and out of a tub, and then standing on the one leg the whole time you are showering.
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several months ago, my Canadian guest slipped in my bathtub and nearly broke her rib. I felt really really bad :( I laid out anti-slip pad for her.

personally - I don't like anti-slip stickers in bathtub. and I prefer a simple shower room. I don't like a bathtub coupled as a shower.
 
My MIL had her tub/shower combo converted to a walk-in shower, at her own expense.

TCS is currently helping our friends remodel their bathroom to be more accessible. The husband has to use a walker, and eventually a wheelchair. They're converting their downstairs' powder room into a full bathroom by moving a wall and adding a roll-in shower. TCS is doing all the tile work for the shower area and bathroom floor. The shower can't have any lip or edge to allow for access. TCS created a shower basin, by hand, that keeps the water in with a gradual slope to the drain. There is no door to the shower so that the husband can get in and out safely, and the wife can assist him with bathing. (There will be a shower curtain.)

I'm glad that TCS had converted our master bathroom garden tub into a walk-in shower years ago. With my Parkinson's, taking a shower is becoming more of an ordeal for me, so anything that makes it easier to do is a necessity.
 
Reba said:
When my daughter and son-in-law had their house built a couple years ago, the original house plans included separate small shower stall and large soaker tub for the master bathroom. Because SIL has only one leg when he's bathing, they preferred to eliminate the tub and make a larger shower instead, with handrails, and room enough for a bench seat. The few times SIL had to use a regular shower/tub combo when traveling were bad. No matter how careful he was, he fell in the tubs each time.

Try standing on one leg only as you hop in and out of a tub, and then standing on the one leg the whole time you are showering.
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I had a client that had Aids and was blind and had cancer in one of his leg I had to give him a shower in a bathtub using a bench seat. It was a real workout for both of us. I was taken off the case when my client got weaker . The newer seniors housings do not have bathtubs they have a walk in shower . I had clients that used their bathtubs to store things , they only took got sponge baths and had their hair wash in the kitchen sink.
I am very concerned about stepping into a bathtub now that my balance has got worst. It's too bad there not some kind shower bench that can fold up to being when traveling . I wonder if hotels have shower benches for people that need them.
 
If a doctor wrote a prescription for someone to get a walk-in tub, why wouldn't Medicare pay for it?

I know someone for whom a spa was prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis and they were able to write off the entire purchase price of the spa and for it's operation in subsequent tax years. But that's a tax break, a little different scenario from the above but still.......why not?
 
Jiro said:
several months ago, my Canadian guest slipped in my bathtub and nearly broke her rib. I felt really really bad :( I laid out anti-slip pad for her.

personally - I don't like anti-slip stickers in bathtub. and I prefer a simple shower room. I don't like a bathtub coupled as a shower.
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I don't like or use stickers or mats in the shower or tub. They seem unsanitary to me. Our remaining bathtub/shower (in the guest bathroom) has a textured bottom, and we added a handrail for entering/exiting the tub.
 
whatdidyousay! said:
I had a client that had Aids and was blind and had cancer in one of his leg I had to give him a shower in a bathtub using a bench seat. It was a real workout for both of us. I was taken off the case when my client got weaker . The newer seniors housings do not have bathtubs they have a walk in shower . I had clients that used their bathtubs to store things , they only took got sponge baths and had their hair wash in the kitchen sink.
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Our former elderly neighbor had to move from her house to an assisted living facility. She was a life-long soothing bathtub bather. She didn't like taking showers and having the water "beat" on her (her description), and like many older "permed" ladies didn't like her hair to get wet between appointments. Of course, assisted living units use only showers. For someone like her, a walk-in tub might have been a nice option.

I am very concerned about stepping into a bathtub now that my balance has got worst. It's too bad there not some kind shower bench that can fold up to being when traveling . I wonder if hotels have shower benches for people that need them.
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The better hotels have ADA-compliant rooms but you have to request them. TCS and I stayed in one (we didn't request it; it just happened to be the last room available), and the bathroom was great! It had a large walk-in shower with multiple height-adjustable shower heads, handrails all around the shower, room, and toilet, and ADA height toilet, wheelchair access sink vanity, and very spacious. It had non-slip tile floor that continued into the area outside the bathroom. The door was extra wide. At the same time, everything was stylish. That's what universal design is about. Function and design combined.
 
Tousi said:
If a doctor wrote a prescription for someone to get a walk-in tub, why wouldn't Medicare pay for it?

I know someone for whom a spa was prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis and they were able to write off the entire purchase price of the spa and for it's operation in subsequent tax years. But that's a tax break, a little different scenario from the above but still.......why not?
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Good questions. Maybe the IRS is afraid fraud would be too easy? :dunno:

It might be that the spa was considered therapy and a tub is considered routine hygiene? :dunno: Personally, I think hygiene is as important.

Don't get me started on the quirks and foibles of the IRS. :lol:
 
:lol:, Reba....yeah, the above spa scenario was late 70's so rules may have changed. The spa RX was for regular therapy......
 
Reba said:
I don't like or use stickers or mats in the shower or tub. They seem unsanitary to me. Our remaining bathtub/shower (in the guest bathroom) has a textured bottom, and we added a handrail for entering/exiting the tub.
Click to expand...

I been using bath mats for years and had no trouble with them . I take it out to dry off between showers . I know some people keep the mat in the tub
all the time and that is unsanitary to me. I wash my off after each shower the hang it on shower rod.
 
They don't pay for them for the same reason they don't pay for hearing aids, they say they aren't medically necessary.
 
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