Walk-In Bathtub Loans, Insurance, Deductions & Financing

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Walk-in Bathtubs can be a costly expense, the following are various sources of both government and private financing options available to you depending on your financial situation and location.

Does a Walk-In Bathtub Qualify for Any Income Tax Deductions?

Ella’s Bubbles strives to provide customers with strategies to make the purchase of a top-of-the-line walk-in bathtub more affordable. Deducting purchase and installation expenses from your taxes can be a key component of such a strategy. It is important to research additional savings before investing in a purchase of significant value.

Getting the Best Price on a Walk-In Bathtub

Chicago based manufacturer of acrylic walk-in bathtubs Ella’s Bubbles is proud to announce the availability of an incredible array of best-in-class walk-in tubs at the most competitive prices in the nation. Budget-minded homeowners are now given the opportunity to make it easier for their family members, including their aging parents to enjoy a more comfortable, therapeutic, and safer bathing experiences in the comfort of their own home.

Medicare

For Medicare to pay for a whirlpool bathtub, your doctor will need to say in writing that it is for Substantial Therapeutic Benefit. Each claim will be reviewed on an individual basis. You may also have to sign an Advance Beneficiary Notice of non-coverage.

An Advance Beneficiary Notice (ABN), also known as a waiver of liability, is a notice a provider should give you before you receive a service if, based on Medicare coverage rules, your provider has reason to believe Medicare will not pay for the service.

Medicaid

Some states may provide assistance through Medicaid. Your best option is to carefully review your relevant policies and inquire directly with a representative before making any assumptions about potential Medicaid coverage.

Medicaid’s Policy on Walk In Tubs
Even with Medicare Advantage plans offering new supplemental healthcare benefits in 2019, Medicaid is more likely to provide financial assistance for the purchase and installation of a walk in tub. Medicaid is not a single federal program. Instead each state has several different Medicaid programs. Therefore, there are possibly 100s of different sets of rules governing Medicaid’s policy on the purchase of a walk in tub or “low threshold shower”. For example, Medicaid in California (Medi-Cal) has programs for pregnant women, for infants, for nursing home care, and for assisted living. None of these Medi-Cal programs will pay for a walk in tub. However, the state also has a Medicaid program called Community Transitions that helps nursing home residents move back to private homes. This program very likely would cover the cost of a walk in tub.

There are also Medicaid programs for Home and Community Based Services (HCBS). For example, Colorado has an Elderly, Blind and Disabled Persons Waiver, which will pay for “specialized medical equipment” and “environmental accessibility modifications”. Under these guidelines, when medically necessary to help an individual remain living in their home, Medicaid will pay the purchase price and installation costs for a walk in tub.

Each state has different Medicaid HCBS waivers. To determine if your state will pay for a walk in tub, you should examine the benefits of your state’s Medicaid waivers to see if they will pay for durable medical equipment, assistive technology, home modifications or environmental accessibility adaptations. A complete list of Medicaid waivers relevant to the elderly can be found here.

Veterans Affairs Programs

Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (HISA)
This grant provides medically necessary improvements and structural alterations to Veterans/Servicemembers’ primary residence for the following purposes:

• Allowing entrance to or exit from their homes
• Use of essential lavatory and sanitary facilities (e.g. roll in showers)
• Allowing accessibility to kitchen or bathroom sinks or counters (e.g. lowering counters/sinks)
• Improving entrance paths or driveways in immediate area of the home to facilitate access to the home through construction of permanent ramping
• Improving plumbing or electrical systems made necessary due to installation of home medical equipment

HISA will not pay for:

• Walkways to exterior buildings
• Widening of driveways (in excess of a 7ft x 6ft area)
• Spa, hot tub, or Jacuzzi
• Exterior decking (in excess of 8ft x 8ft)

HISA Grant Amounts
Lifetime HISA benefit up to $6,800 may be provided for:

• Veterans and Servicemembers who have a service connected condition
• Veterans who have a non-service connected condition rated 50% or more service connected

Lifetime benefit up to $2,000 may be provided for Veterans who have a non-service connected condition

What does HISA exclude?
Some excluded HISA structural alterations are exterior decking; purchase or installation of spa/hot tubs/Jacuzzi type tubs; home security systems; removable equipment or appliances such as portable ramps; porch lifts, and stair glides; and routine repairs.

What Veterans Benefits Can Be Used on Walk-in Bathtubs?

According to statistics corroborated by National Institute on Aging studies, more than a third of people over the age of 65 suffer injuries due to slips and falls each year, and an alarming 81% of these accidents occur during showering and bathing. A top-quality, professionally installed walk-in tub is one of the best preventative measures that can be taken against injuries in the bathroom, which have been found to drastically increase with age.

Subsidies for Seniors or Handicapped

The US Department of Agriculture offers a grant (the USDA Rural Repair and Rehabilitation Grant) to seniors living on a low income in rural areas. Seniors can apply to use this grant to cover home modifications, including the cost of a walk-in tub.

The best way to start the application process is to contact your local USDA service center. You can find a map of service centers in each state here.

Financial Assistance Programs

Other financial assistance programs may be available in your area. Many states offer non-Medicaid programs to help seniors with medical care or home modifications.

To get started, check out this list of programs by state.

Will My Insurance Pay For a Walk-In Tub?

The question of whether your insurance will pay for a walk-in tub is not a simple one; rather, it greatly depends on how you approach the issue and the measures you take. A walk-in tub is a helpful and instrumental piece of equipment, which makes bath-time easier, especially for elderly persons with medical conditions.

Is There Financing Available for a Walk-In Tub?

Given these alarming statistics, walk-in tubs are no longer a luxury – they are an absolute necessity for people who want to remain and age in their own home independantly. However, these walk-in tubs may not be financially accessible to all of those who need them. So is there financing available for a walk-in tub? The answer is yes, there are several financing options one can consider when looking for a walk-in tub.