But if you’re planning to have the hospital bed for several months or even years, the cost of renting will quickly start to catch up to you. There are also several more issues you’ll run into with hospital bed rentals that become more drastic over the long term.
Hygienic Concerns
Hotel beds have proved to us time and again that sharing a bed with a stranger can mean crossing paths with some questionable substances. In hotel rooms, the worst of these substances tend to be unmentionable bodily fluids. But in the case of a hospital bed rental, you could run into more serious pathogens.
The truth of the matter is that rented hospital beds have held sick people before and germs can stick around for a long time. MRSA can survive for weeks outside of the body and will live longer on hard surfaces than on soft.
C. difficile can survive on a hard surface for five months and can be life-threatening, especially for people who are over 65, are on antibiotics, and/or have a severe underlying medical disorder.
It is all but impossible to clean every single surface germs can lurk on in a hospital bed. And if you have someone who is immunocompromised as a result of their illness, these bugs can present an enormous threat.
Quality
Another downside to renting a used hospital bed is that it will be, well, used. Things break down with wear and tear and you can bet the bed will have seen plenty of that already. In electric beds, in particular, you may see things like remotes that don’t work, parts that get stuck, and wires that need replacing.
If you’re renting the bed, the rental company may pay for those repairs, but in the meantime, the bed will be out of commission. Not to mention that the patient may have to get out of the bed while it’s being repaired, which can be a huge problem in some cases. With a new bed, you’ll know you’re getting top quality, and there may be a warranty period to boot.
Regulations
Like with rental homes and cars, hospital bed rentals come with a variety of regulations you as the user will have to follow.
You won’t be able to modify the bed in any way, and any damage to the bed can cost you big-time. If you have pets in the home, this can cause additional worry and the bed will never feel like a truly comforting place the way a bed should.
But if you buy a bed, it’s yours to do with as you please. If your granddaughter comes over and wants to sign the bed rails in Sharpie, she can do so. You’ll get a smile every time you see it. Having pets around isn’t a worry and you can make the bed yours in all the most important ways.
Availability
One of the uglier possibilities when it comes to hospital rental beds is that you may run into limited availability. Depending on where you’re located, rental companies in your area may only keep a few hospital beds for rent. They may also have a limited selection that doesn’t include the specialized sort of bed you need.
Instead of having to hope the right bed is available when you need it, you can have exactly what you want when it matters most. Settling for a gatch bed instead of an electric bed or a standard bed instead of a low bed may not seem like a big deal at first. But with something that will be so intimately involved in your life, you want to get the right tool for the job.
Hospital Bed Rental Cost vs Buying
The biggest question for most people when it comes to buying versus renting a bed is how much it will cost. In either case, your insurance may cover it and we’ll talk about that more in a moment. But for now, let’s take a straight look at how much each option will cost.
How much does it cost to rent a hospital bed per month?
On average, it costs between $200 and $500 a month for a hospital bed rental. Let’s split the difference and say you’re paying $350 a month for your bed; in six months, you’ll spend $2,100 on your rental.
And that’s before any fees, repair costs, or additional costs associated with the rental.
Buying a hospital bed outright costs anywhere between $500 and $10,000 depending on how specialized a model you need.
But standard electric hospital beds, the most common model, cost around $2,000. So for just six months of a hospital bed rental, you could own the same bed.
If you’re planning on having the bed in your home for many years to come, buying the bed upfront can save you thousands. And even if you only use it for the six months it would take for the rental costs to equal the buying price, at the end of that time, you’ll own the bed.
From there, you can sell it to recoup some of your money or keep it in case of future need.
Look at Insurance
Luckily, in many cases, patients do not have to pay for their own hospital beds whether they’re renting or buying.
It is important to note that every policy is different and what your insurance covers may vary. You should talk to your insurance company to get more information about their policies regarding home hospital beds.
In general, Medicare plans will pay for 80 percent of the purchase price of a hospital bed. For a standard bed, this means you will have to pay only $400 and the bed is yours.
