Does TRICARE cover home oxygen?
Yes, as long as it's medically necessary. Rent or buy, and when a backup counts.
Does TRICARE cover home oxygen?
Yes, with a doctor's order when it's medically necessary. TRICARE covers durable medical equipment "when prescribed by a physician," and for portable oxygen its answer is "Yes, as long as it's medically necessary." A portable concentrator can also be covered as a backup to a home unit when it's essential to "a fail-safe, in-home life-support system."
Oxygen at home usually means a concentrator by the bed and, for many people, a portable unit for getting out. Here is what TRICARE says about both.
Steps
- Talk with the doctor. The doctor decides whether oxygen is medically necessary, how much, and when it's used: through the night, all day, or when moving around.
- Get the order. TRICARE covers equipment when a physician prescribes it. The order should say which equipment is needed and why.
- Ask your military clinic first. If you're enrolled at a military hospital or clinic, ask them first. TRICARE doesn't cover equipment you can get from your military hospital or clinic.
- Approval from TriWest. In the West, TriWest reviews equipment before it's approved. Intake helps you gather what's needed.
- Rented or bought. TRICARE says you may buy an oxygen concentrator or rent it. TriWest decides which, based on what's more economical and appropriate.
- A backup for life support. TRICARE doesn't pay for a second unit kept only as a spare. It can cover a portable concentrator as a backup to a home unit when it's essential to a fail-safe, in-home life-support system. The doctor's order should say so.
- TRICARE For Life. If you have TRICARE For Life and live in the U.S. or a U.S. territory, Medicare's rules apply too.
Checklist
- Doctor agrees oxygen is needed, and how much
- Order names the equipment and the reason
- Asked our military clinic first (if enrolled at one)
- Backup unit? Order says why it's needed
- TRICARE For Life? Medicare's rules checked
- Called intake or sent a request
Oxygen makes fire burn faster. Read the home oxygen safety guide before the first delivery.
In TRICARE's words
Yes, as long as it's medically necessary. You may buy an oxygen concentrator or may rent it.
TRICARE covers durable medical equipment when prescribed by a physician.
Duplicate items (those that serve the same purpose, but may not be an exact duplicate, such as a portable oxygen concentrator as a backup for a stationary oxygen generator) that are essential to provide a fail-safe, in-home life-support system.
If you have TRICARE For Life coverage and live in the U.S. or a U.S. Territory, you must also follow Medicare's rules.
Equipment in this guide
Follow the instructions from your doctor and the equipment maker.