Getting the Most Out of Medicare

March 15th, 2010 Posted in Anxiety and Depression

Many consumers who require a Lightweight Wheelchair additionally require some aid in financing them. Quite a few people rely on Medicare for financial help with wheelchairs or other medical supplies, even though the process is neither straightforward nor rapid, and if someone offers you a bit of help you ought to accept it. It won’t matter whether you are figuring out your own paperwork or if someone else is completing it for you, by the way; you should start the process with a few large pieces of information.

First, Medicare isn’t going to cover the whole expense of Folding Wheelchairs. Medicare will offset 80% of the price, and then you or your medical insurance will be billed for the remainder of the expense. Happily, most medical suppliers will not bill you the whole cost of the chair right away; they just bill you for your 20% and wait until the reimbursement comes before requesting the remainder. Needless to say, this will be easier if you communicate with your manufacturer to be certain that the chair you select is pre-approved by Medicare. If you purchase the chair and your reimbursement is not approved, then you are going to either need to return the item or pay the unpaid 80% of the expense, which might hurt.

Medicare is famously fussy about who gets funding for wheelchairs, and why. You could be confused by some of the thinking which steers this program. As an example, if you must employ a wheelchair to function in your living space, this program will gladly provide the least expensive wheelchair able to solve your problem.

However, if you manage just fine at home with some crutches but only want a wheelchair for grocery shopping, you are out of luck. Medicare is only concerned about making sure that you can access your kitchen. Although the concept of a motorized wheelchair will usually be appealing, Medicare will need a statement filled out by your doctor maintaining that you are not able to propel a manual wheelchair before they help you purchase a motorized wheelchair.

Also, Medicare will not help you purchase Lightweight Folding Wheelchairs outright. No matter the reason that leads you to require a wheelchair, Medicare will only enable you to rent a wheelchair for 10 months, then reassess your situation and decide whether to enable you to own the chair. This procedure will have no outcome on your use of the wheelchair, however it will be reflected in the forms that you are renting the chair rather than purchasing it.

As you have figured out, dealing with Medicare is a particularly convoluted experience. Companies that provide wheelchairs and other medical supplies have become alarmingly skillful at navigating through the red tape, so it is in your best interest to have a good relationship with your mobility device distributor. When all the paperwork is submitted, you can bring your wheelchair home and proceed with your life. Happy wheeling!