To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide coverage for certain fall prevention items under the Medicare program.
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Magaziner introduced the following bill; which was referred to …
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill expands Medicare coverage to include fall prevention equipment like grab bars, non-slip mats, shower chairs, and bed rails. Currently, seniors must pay out-of-pocket for these safety items. The bill makes them covered durable medical equipment under Medicare Part B, allows Medicare beneficiaries to obtain them without a doctor's prescription, and protects the funding from automatic budget cuts.
Who Benefits and How
Medicare beneficiaries—primarily seniors aged 65 and older and people with disabilities—benefit by getting these fall prevention items covered by insurance instead of paying hundreds of dollars out-of-pocket. Manufacturers and retailers of medical equipment and home safety products benefit through increased sales, as Medicare will now reimburse for items like grab bars and shower chairs that seniors previously had to buy themselves. Physicians also benefit from reduced paperwork, since the bill waives the requirement for a doctor's order.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Federal taxpayers bear the cost of this Medicare expansion through increased government healthcare spending. The bill includes a provision exempting these payments from sequestration (automatic budget cuts), which means federal budget managers lose a tool for controlling Medicare costs and must find savings elsewhere if needed. The exact cost depends on how many seniors use the benefit, but expanding covered items without requiring physician authorization could lead to significant new Medicare expenditures.
Key Provisions
• Adds fall prevention items (grab bars, non-slip mats, shower chairs, bed rails) to the list of durable medical equipment covered by Medicare Part B
• Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to designate additional fall prevention items for coverage beyond those explicitly listed
• Waives the usual requirement for a physician's order, letting beneficiaries obtain these items directly
• Exempts payments for fall prevention items from sequestration cuts under budget control laws
• Takes effect 60 days after the bill is signed into law
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Amends the Social Security Act to provide Medicare coverage for fall prevention items such as grab bars, non-slip mats, shower chairs, and bed rails without requiring a physician order
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Expand Medicare coverage to include preventive care items that reduce fall injuries among seniors, while protecting funding from budget cuts through sequestration exemption"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Medicare beneficiaries (seniors and disabled individuals)
- Durable medical equipment suppliers and manufacturers
- Home safety equipment retailers
Likely Burden Bearers
- Federal taxpayers (through increased Medicare spending)
- Medicare Trust Fund
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Health and Human Services
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Includes grab bars, non-slip mats, shower chairs, bed rails, and such other items or categories of items as the Secretary may specify
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology