Switching Insurance During a 13-month Rental Period? Here’s How It Could Affect Your Equipment Coverage

When it comes to mobility equipment covered by insurance, timing matters more than most people realize. If you’re thinking about changing insurance plans during a rental period, it’s important to know how the switch could impact your current wheelchair order.

Many patients are surprised to learn that switching plans mid-rental can pause, restart, change, or remove coverage for equipment that may have already been approved by their previous insurance. The goal of this guide is to help you understand how insurance changes work during a rental period, what you can do to avoid additional out-of-pocket expenses, or worse—a potential recoupment of your equipment, and how to make the most informed decision possible.

What Could Happen If You Switch Before Delivery or Billing

Each insurance company has its own coverage rules, authorization requirements, provider networks, and billing guidelines.

When you change your insurance during a rental, it requires us to restart the insurance approval process from the beginning. This happens because prior approvals from your old plan don’t always transfer over, even if your new plan is with the same provider. There’s also the possibility of your new provider not being in network with us.

Here are a few things that may occur when you switch insurance mid-process:

Billing Complications

• The new plan may deny the claim, leaving part of the balance uncovered or billed to you.

• You may lose full coverage or encounter unexpected out-of-pocket costs.

If you switch from traditional Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan, in-network to out-of-network, or Medicaid to Medicare, here’s what you need to know:

What to Do If You’ve Already Switched Plans

If you’ve already changed insurance during a rental, contact your Rehab Medical representative as soon as possible and share:

• A copy/photo of the front and back of your new card

• The date your new coverage started

• Whether your old plan is still active or has ended

This allows our team to determine new eligibility requirements and establish next steps.

Things to Consider Before Making a Final Decision

Before making the switch, review the plan’s coverage details to discover if switching will benefit you and your mobility needs, especially if you anticipate long-term use. Ask yourself the following questions to help guide you in the right direction.

• Is it better to wait until your rental period has ended and your chair has been fully paid before making the switch?

• Does the new plan cover future mobility needs?

• Are your current providers, including Rehab Medical, in network with the new plan you’re considering?

• Will the new plan cover service, maintenance, or repairs long-term?

Changing your insurance doesn’t mean you can’t continue with your equipment—but it can significantly affect coverage, out-of-pocket expenses, or, unfortunately, lead to your chair being reclaimed.

To prevent insurance from denying payment of your equipment, we ask that you let us know your plans PRIOR to making any changes. When you let us know beforehand, it gives our team a chance to connect with your new provider and discuss a transfer of coverage or other potential options.

If you have any questions or want to know what your specific options could be, simply give us a call at 866-488-1687.