Medicare Coverage for Home Oxygen Equipment
Who qualifies for Medicare oxygen coverage, how the 36-month rental and 5-year supplier period work, and what your supplier must keep providing.
Home oxygen therapy is one of the most tightly regulated equipment benefits in Medicare, and the rules about how long a supplier must serve you can be confusing. This guide explains who qualifies, how the 36-month rental and 5-year supplier period work, what your supplier must keep providing, and what to know about portable oxygen. It is general information, not medical advice.
Who qualifies for oxygen coverage
Medicare Part B covers oxygen equipment and accessories as durable medical equipment. According to Medicare.gov, you must meet all of these conditions:
- Your doctor or other health care provider says you are not getting enough oxygen.
- Your health might improve with oxygen therapy.
- Your arterial blood gas level falls within a certain range.
Your provider must prescribe the equipment, and you must get it from a supplier enrolled in Medicare. After you meet the Part B deductible, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount. For 2026, CMS set the Part B deductible at $283.
The first 36 months: rental
With oxygen, you rent rather than buy. Medicare makes monthly rental payments to the supplier for up to 36 months of continuous use, as set out in the federal payment rule at 42 CFR 414.226. According to Medicare's DME coverage booklet, the monthly payment covers:
- The oxygen equipment itself
- Oxygen contents, including tank or cylinder refills if you use gaseous or liquid oxygen
- Supplies and accessories such as tubing or a mouthpiece
- Maintenance, servicing and repairs
If you also use portable oxygen equipment, there is a separate monthly payment in addition to the general one, and it also ends after 36 months. You pay 20% of the approved amount for each.
In most cases, the supplier that furnishes your equipment in the first month must continue for the full 36-month period, with limited exceptions such as your moving outside its service area.
After 36 months: what the supplier must keep providing
Rental payments for the equipment stop after month 36, but the supplier's obligations do not. The supplier that provided your equipment in the 36th month must:
- Keep furnishing the equipment and any necessary supplies and accessories, and keep it in good working order, as long as you need it, for up to 5 years in total. The booklet says the supplier cannot charge you for these services.
- Keep delivering oxygen contents if you use tanks or cylinders. Medicare continues to pay each month for gaseous or liquid oxygen contents after the 36-month rental period.
- Not change the type of equipment or number of tank refills you get unless your doctor orders a change.
If you use an oxygen concentrator or equipment that fills portable tanks at home, you may owe coinsurance for maintenance and servicing every 6 months, but only if the supplier comes to your home to inspect and service it. The supplier owns the equipment during the whole 5-year period.
If you move after month 36, the supplier is responsible for making sure you have oxygen in your new area, which may mean arranging service through another supplier. It cannot charge you for equipment after month 36 in this situation.
After 5 years: starting a new period
The 5-year limit reflects the reasonable useful lifetime Medicare sets for the equipment. If you still need oxygen after 5 years, the supplier is no longer obligated to keep providing it. You must get new equipment, and you may choose any Medicare-enrolled supplier, including your current one. A new 36-month payment period and a new 5-year supplier period then begin.
Portable oxygen and mobility needs
Medicare.gov states that suppliers must provide equipment that fits your needs, including your mobility needs both inside and outside your home. If your equipment does not let you move around as you need to, or is no longer effective, your doctor can send the supplier a new letter of medical necessity describing your needs, and the supplier must provide equipment that fits them.
Air travel has separate rules. Your supplier is not required to provide an airline-approved portable oxygen concentrator, and Medicare does not pay for oxygen related to air travel. You may be able to rent a portable concentrator if you give the supplier several weeks' notice.
Choosing a supplier and resolving problems
Because you may stay with one oxygen supplier for years, it is worth asking questions up front: whether the supplier accepts Medicare assignment, how refills and emergency service work, and how it handles travel and moves. You can compare enrolled suppliers with Medicare's supplier finder.
If a supplier says it will stop providing your prescribed therapy before your 5-year period ends, ask for that in writing and call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227; TTY 1-877-486-2048). You can also file a DME complaint. Suppliers must acknowledge a complaint within 5 calendar days and respond in writing within 14 calendar days.