Medicare Part B can cover oxygen and oxygen equipment used at home when your condition, test results, provider order, and supplier meet Medicare requirements.
Yes. Medicare Part B can cover home oxygen equipment and supplies when you meet its coverage requirements. This falls under the durable medical equipment benefit and can include the oxygen system, storage containers, oxygen itself, tubing, and related supplies.
Who Qualifies?
Medicare generally requires documentation that:
- You are not getting enough oxygen
- Oxygen therapy may improve your health
- Qualifying blood-gas or oxygen test results meet coverage criteria
Certain conditions may qualify under different criteria. A provider must evaluate the need and order the equipment.
How Does the Rental Work?
After the Part B deductible, you generally pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount. Medicare pays a supplier to rent oxygen equipment for 36 months. Under Medicare’s rules, the supplier must keep providing the oxygen, equipment, supplies, and service you need for up to five years from the start.
The equipment generally remains the supplier’s property after the 36 payments; this is different from owning a CPAP device after its rental period. You may still owe payments for eligible oxygen contents or maintenance after the 36-month equipment rental ends. Ask which charges will continue. Five years after you first receive the equipment, a new rental period can begin if you still qualify.
Choose the Supplier Carefully
The provider and supplier must be enrolled in Medicare. Ask whether the supplier accepts Medicare’s approved amount as full payment, called assignment. Also ask whether it can meet your needs for moving around, refills, travel, and service.
Medicare has rules for changing oxygen equipment. The supplier may replace it with the same or an equivalent item, or a treating provider may order different equipment. You may choose an upgrade if you sign an Advance Beneficiary Notice (ABN), a written notice about costs Medicare may not pay. CMS or the Medicare equipment contractor may also decide a change is needed. These exceptions do not mean an upgrade is free. CMS policy A52514 lists the exceptions. Medicare Advantage plans may require approval before you receive equipment and an in-network supplier.
Before delivery or travel, ask who will handle refills, repairs and replacement equipment at the destination, and what you would owe. For a permanent move, arrange service before leaving so the next supplier knows when your rental began and how many months remain.
Medicare policy sources last checked: October 8, 2026.