Medicare pays for equipment that is durable, meaning that it can be used many times. Single use items such as incontinence pads, bandages and surgical stockings are not covered under the durable medical equipment (DME) benefit.

Like everything else Medicare, the patient/beneficiary must share the costs of durable medical equipment with Medicare. This concise summary sheet shows the most commonly used kinds of durable medical equipment and explains how much Medicare will cover, and how much the patient will have to pay.

Go to the Medicare Durable Medical Equipment Guide