Ali Ingersoll is a perpetual advocate for the paralysis community and Ms Wheelchair America for 2023. She recently shared the following call-to-action with us encouraging wheelchair users to share their mobility insights with Medicare to help secure critical coverage.
Are you a wheelchair user? Medicare wants to hear from YOU!
Take action by September 14, 2022.
As you may know, the Medicare program currently prohibits coverage for seat elevation and standing systems in power wheelchairs and views these systems as “not primarily medical in nature.” Contrary to their argument, we know it can be difficult to navigate daily activities for those who use a wheelchair. It is vital to be able to:
- Safely transfer from a wheelchair to another surface, particularly if it is not level with their chair;
- Function independently at home as much as possible;
- Improve circulation, bone strength, and skin health, along with other medical benefits when spending long periods of time in a wheelchair.
Medicare is currently accepting public comments through Wednesday, September 14 about whether to cover power seat elevation systems for Medicare beneficiaries, and will be considering additional comments about power standing systems at a later date.
Please share your story and let Medicare know how you could benefit from these technologies. More information and instructions are available at www.rise4access.org.
Written by Emily Progin
