Paperwork
The Form From the Equipment Company May Ask You to Pay: Read the Advance Beneficiary Notice
Before a supplier brings equipment to the house, you may be handed a Medicare notice that moves the cost onto you, so read its choices before you initial anything.
Before a supplier brings a walker, bedside commode or other equipment to the house, you may be handed a form you did not expect. It is often called an Advance Beneficiary Notice, or ABN. Medicare describes it as the notice a provider gives you when it believes Medicare may not pay for an item or service (Medicare.gov, ABN guidance). It is not a bill, but if you sign the wrong box, you can become responsible for the cost.
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What to look for on the page
Find the item named on the form and the sentence that says Medicare may not pay for it. Then read every option box. Medicare's notice sets out choices that generally include receiving the item and asking Medicare to decide on payment, receiving it and paying yourself, or not receiving it at all. Do not initial a box because the delivery driver is waiting at the door.
Check when the form was handed to you. A notice given before the supplier orders the item leaves you room to choose. A notice put in front of you after the equipment is already loaded leaves you with fewer real options. If you are at the hospital, the discharge planner or the therapist can tell you whether the item was actually recommended, which is a separate question from whether Medicare will pay for it.
Ask these before you sign
Ask the supplier which reason is written on the form and whether that reason applies to this exact item. Ask whether the item is a rental or a purchase. If you would pay yourself, ask for the total in writing and keep that paper with the discharge folder. Ask who keeps the signed copy and where you can reach that person after you leave the building.
Compare the form to the discharge paper. If the hospital's list of equipment and the supplier's form do not name the same item, stop and call the discharge team before you sign. The sources we used for this guide are listed on our Sources page, and the basic process for asking about coverage is laid out on the How We Write page.