1. United States
2. Ill.
3. Letter

Hello! I am writing today because I am painfully and increasingly aware of how outdated Medicare rules pertaining to coverage of wheelchairs really is. Many of the things Medicare and does not cover with respect to people who need wheelchairs date back to the old ugly laws when disabled people were supposed to remain in their homes or in institutions never to be seen in the public. Something it seems this administration wants to bring back. Hence, the ONLY explanation I have for why Medicare would deny coverage for wheelchair transit securements, home modifications, and vehicle modifications. As the VA has not made progress on my mother’s vehicle or home modifications that she needs, I am now also finding this to be inconvenient for me as well because now I need a wheelchair. My health condition has gotten to this point. Imagine my horror hearing that Medicare can deny a wheelchair if they think we don’t need them 24/7 in the home. Forget if you need a wheelchair to go to work, school, or doctor/clinic appointments. Nope, only covered for use in the home. Does not mean you cannot use it in public, but only approved for in the home. No ramps? That’s on you. No vehicle modifications? Also on you. The denial of the transit securement is almost laughable because if I needed to go to an appointment using paratransit, how do we secure the wheelchair? But no, the outdated rules are laughable. I have a plethora of medical conditions and some must be managed with in clinic care. PT and OT certainly is not coming to the house nor is infusion therapy. Nor is cardiology care nor ENT care. And if I needed to go to the ER? I’m both laughing and shaking my head at the fact that they deny transition securements. Because they aren’t considered medically necessary. Because they are not categorized under DME but under vehicle/hoke modifications. That Medicare has never and will never cover. Because disabled people are apparently never to leave their houses. The coverage needs to be brought to now. Not the administration now but the society now.