Fact is, most private health insurance plans do not provide coverage for a home/personal medical alarm system. What most folks don't know is that there ARE benefit plans that may cover some or all of the cost. It will require you to check with your providers to confirm if you qualify. Here are a few to consider:
Veterans Benefit Program
SafeGuardian.com is proud to be a veteran-owned business. Honorably discharged veterans from all services are eligible to receive a free mobile medical alarm device. Simply email evidence of your service (DD-214) to service@safeguardian.com and we will email you discount/promo code for use when ordering from www.safeguardian.com. The cellular service fee of just $1/day is conveniently billed monthly with no contract required.
Government Service (GSA) Benefits Program
We honor all our government service providers, first responders and their families with a free personal medical alarm device. Simply email evidence of your service (paystub, retirement check, etc.) to service@safeguardian.com and we will email you a discount/promo code for use when ordering from www.safeguardian.com. The cellular service fee of just $1/day is conveniently billed monthly with no contract required.
HSA & FSA Benefit Plans: Some individuals and employers have set-up a Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA) which offer a debt card that can be used for a wide variety of discretionary medical products and services. Beneficiaries can use their HSA/FSA benefits to pay for a medical alarm & help alert devices from a pre-qualified medical alarm company. The CareCaller line of medical alarms from SafeGuardian is fully approved to accept HSA payments.
Medicare Advantage Plans
If you are covered under a Medicare Advantage plan, your provider may offer a benefit program. Individuals need to contact their plan provider to determine if a benefit is available.
Medicaid Benefits
Medicaid may provide coverage for “Personal Emergency Response Services.” Qualified services can include medical alert devices or similar monitors and sensors. Home-wide medical alert systems may be referred to as electronic home monitoring, or aging in place technologies under this coverage. Medicaid has four different programs which may provide funding that can be used to pay for a medical alert system.
- Medicaid’s Home Community Based Services (HCBS) waivers are the most common source of funding for medical alert systems. While each state sets its own policies for waivers, they are commonly in the range of $25-$75 per month, which covers typical medical alert systems’ monthly service fees. The waivers also come in the form of a one-time reimbursement in the range of $40-$200 intended for the start-up costs associated with medical alert systems, such as setup fees or equipment costs.
- Medicaid provides “Consumer Directed Services” funding for daily assistive care, but does not specify further requirements of that care. Thus, a consumer can decide which assistive healthcare services the funding is used for, including medical alert systems.
- Money Follows the Person (MFP) is a grant intended for consumers receiving care from nursing homes or assisted living facilities. The grant is designed to provide assistance to patients who want to move back to their homes, or to the home of a relative. Medical alert systems are covered under this grant as they support the goal of aging-in-place without healthcare facilities.
- Medicaid State Plan Personal Care Attendant (PCA) Programs are entitlement programs that pay amounts comparable to the HCBS waivers.
If you have any additional questions regarding medical alarm & help alert systems, please do not hesitate to contact SafeGuardian Medical Alarms directly at 800-378-2957 or service@safeguardian.com