Medicare will cover electric mobility scooters. However, you must be able to show you have an honest medical need for one and the primary use must be for moving around your home. In other words, it just can't be something that would be nice to have or primarily for use outside the home. However, you must follow the steps below to ensure that Medicare pays for the equipment:

• Only your doctor can prescribe the equipment for you, so do not order anything until you have visited your doctor no matter what the sales person tells you.
• The doctor must document the need for an electric scooter in your medical records and give you a signed and dated order (prescription) for the equipment.
• The order must be received by the supplier before Medicare is billed and it must be kept on file by the supplier.

If you receive your Medicare through a Medicare Medical Advantage Plan (HMO, PPO) it is likely you will have to follow the plan's steps for approval and purchase of a scooter. Call your plan's customer service number and ask how you get coverage for an electric mobility scooter.