Who pays for a stair lift?
- Medicare
- No not medical equipment
- Medicaid
- Sometimes through state waivers
- USDA 504 grant
- Up to $10,000 rural owners 62+
- Medicare: no coverage for a stair lift
- Medicaid: yes in some cases, through waiver programs run by each state
- USDA Section 504 grant: as much as $10,000 for rural homeowners age 62 or up
- New straight stair lift: roughly $2,500 to $5,000 with installation
Does insurance cover stair lifts? Original Medicare will not pay for one, so most people cover the cost themselves, turn to a state Medicaid program, look into a USDA loan or grant for fixing up a rural home, or spread the cost with monthly financing. The right choice depends on how old you are, what you earn, where your home is, and whether your stairs are straight or curved.
Stair Lift Prices Before You Look for Help
Before you look for help, it helps to know the price. A new straight lift runs $2,500 to $5,000 installed, says the National Council on Aging. A curved lift is pricier, between $8,000 and $12,000, while a secondhand straight lift goes for roughly $1,500 to $3,000.
A long set of straight stairs means a longer rail, and that raises the price a bit.
| Straight steps | Rail length | New lift, installed |
|---|---|---|
| 8 steps | roughly 10 ft | roughly $2,500–$5,000 |
| 13 steps | roughly 16 ft | roughly $2,575–$5,075 |
| 16 steps | roughly 19 ft | roughly $2,800–$5,300 |
| 20 steps | roughly 23 ft | roughly $3,100–$5,600 |
Does Insurance or Medicare Cover a Stair Lift?
Part B of Original Medicare will not help pay for a stair lift because Medicare does not treat one as durable medical equipment. Durable medical equipment means long-lasting medical items such as walkers or hospital beds, the kind Medicare helps pay for. As the National Council on Aging explains, that is why stair lifts fall outside the program.
Is Medicaid an Option for a Stair Lift?
In some cases, yes. Every state sets up its own Medicaid program within federal rules, so what is covered depends on where you live and which program you qualify for, according to Stannah.
Plenty of states run Home and Community-Based Services waivers, or offer "environmental accessibility adaptation" benefits, that can pay for home changes such as a stair lift. A waiver is a state Medicaid program that pays for care at home rather than in a care facility.
Colorado is one example. The Home Modification benefit sits under more than one waiver, among them the Elderly, Blind and Disabled waiver, and caps its help at $14,000 over a lifetime. That is enough for a new straight lift and, in many cases, a curved one too.
VA Benefits for Veterans
Through the HISA grant, a veteran with a service-connected condition can receive as much as $6,800, while other eligible veterans can get up to $2,000. In VA terms, a service-connected condition is an illness or injury tied to military service, whether it started there or was made worse by it. But stair lifts, which the VA calls stair glides, are on the list of items HISA will not cover. Porch lifts, equipment that can be removed, and ordinary repairs are not covered either.
USDA Repair Loans and Grants for Rural Homeowners
Homeowners in rural areas with low or very-low income can get loans through the USDA Section 504 Home Repair program. Older owners with very-low income can also get grants to fix health and safety hazards at home, according to USDA Rural Development.
| Section 504 help | Most you can get | Who can get it |
|---|---|---|
| Loan | up to $40,000 | Rural owners with low or very-low income |
| Grant | up to $10,000 in a lifetime | Owners 62 or older whose income is under the county very-low limit |
| Loan and grant together | up to $50,000 | Owners who meet the rules for both |
Applying starts with your local Rural Development office. The USDA suggests an informal prequalification first, though you can skip it. Prequalification is a quick early look at whether you would probably qualify, done before you send in the full paperwork.
Paying Monthly for a Stair Lift
Instead of one big payment, some dealers let you pay a set amount each month. Lifeway Mobility, for instance, has plans that start at $99.99 a month on a new lift, if you qualify as a buyer.
Monthly Payments for a Used Lift
Buying used costs less up front, and the monthly payments can be smaller as well. Qualified buyers can finance a used stair lift through Lifeway Mobility starting at $79.99 a month. Since a secondhand straight lift runs about $1,500 to $3,000, it may be worth asking dealers if they have a used model that would work on your stairs.