Insurance and funding for medical equipment rental in Calgary

Four ways a rental gets paid

Which route applies depends mostly on why the equipment is needed and for how long.

• Private pay. You rent at our monthly rate and pay us directly. It is the usual route for a short recovery, because Alberta’s equipment program doesn’t reimburse short-term rentals.
• Extended health benefits. Workplace and individual plans from insurers such as Alberta Blue Cross, Sun Life and Manulife may reimburse some or all of a rental, depending on the plan. Expect to need a prescription or written recommendation, itemized receipts, and sometimes a cost estimate before you rent.
• WCB-Alberta. For a workplace injury, WCB must approve equipment in advance, after an occupational therapist’s assessment. Speak to your case manager before arranging anything.
• Government programs. Alberta Aids to Daily Living helps with long-term, chronic and palliative needs after an assessment. Veterans Affairs Canada and the NIHB program for First Nations and Inuit have their own rules, set out below.

Documents to collect, whoever is paying

Each payer has its own forms, but the same few documents come up again and again. Start gathering them before the equipment arrives where you can.

• A prescription or written recommendation. Private insurers generally want one from a physician, and Manulife’s group form also asks for the diagnosis. AADL works through an authorizer such as a registered nurse, OT or physiotherapist, and NIHB needs a prescriber it recognizes.
• Itemized receipts. One for every month, showing the equipment and the rental period. We provide these with each monthly charge.
• A cost estimate or predetermination. Some plans want to review the cost before you commit. Ask whether yours does, and we’ll prepare a written quote for it.
• Notes from your calls. The date, the person you spoke with, and what they said about renting as opposed to buying.

Veterans Affairs Canada

VAC’s Programs of Choice include a Special Equipment program covering items such as transfer and lift devices, power mobility, wheelchairs, walkers and hospital equipment. The equipment must be prescribed by a VAC-approved health professional, often with a recommendation from another professional.

Medavie Blue Cross processes these claims, either reimbursing the veteran or paying a registered provider who bills directly. VAC’s rules for providers allow purchase, rental or lease-to-buy arrangements, and the prescription has to be in place before equipment is supplied. Call VAC or Medavie Blue Cross before renting and ask how reimbursement to you would work.

First Nations and Inuit: NIHB

The Non-Insured Health Benefits program covers medical supplies and equipment for eligible First Nations and Inuit clients. Every claim needs a valid prescription from a prescriber NIHB recognizes, and some items need prior approval.

NIHB uses rentals for short-term or acute conditions. Rental agreements generally can’t run longer than three months unless NIHB says otherwise, and the total paid for a rental won’t exceed the purchase price of equivalent equipment. Only providers enrolled with NIHB can bill the program directly, so contact NIHB before you rent to find out how your situation would be handled.

GST on medical equipment rentals

Federal tax law zero-rates certain medical and assistive devices for GST when specific conditions are met. The conditions differ by item. Hospital beds and lift chairs, for example, depend on a written order from a qualifying health professional for the person who will use the equipment, while patient lifts and some mobility aids depend on being specially designed for people with a disability. Pressure mattresses aren’t named in that list.

How GST applies to your rental depends on the item, the paperwork and the situation of the person using it, so please don’t assume any rental is tax-free. Ask us when you book, and if a health professional has given you a written order for the equipment, have it ready.

How we help with the paperwork

We are not affiliated with any insurer, WCB, AADL or government program. We do make the paper side easier: a written quote naming the equipment and monthly rate, an itemized receipt each month, and a plain-language read of what a letter from your insurer is asking for.