ACTION ALERT

September 5, 2007

There is currently a provision in the House-passed Children’s Health and Medicare Protection (“CHAMP”) Act that has the potential to restrict access to power wheelchairs for Medicare beneficiaries. 

Section 608 of the bill would eliminate the initial purchase option for power wheelchairs, requiring that all beneficiaries “rent” a device for the first 13 months, then have the title transferred.  Currently, most power wheelchairs users choose to purchase the device up-front, given their long-term need.  

This provision could have a serious impact on access to power wheelchairs because suppliers will be unable to afford to purchase the device from the manufacturer upfront, essentially financing it over a 13-month period.  This provision would provide a strong disincentive for suppliers to participate in the Medicare program and many have already indicated that they will have to consider reducing their services to Medicare beneficiaries if this provision were to be enacted.   

What may be most harmful to beneficiaries is the prospect of suppliers assessing whether a particular individual will live the full 13-month period after receiving the device (necessary to recover the supplier’s costs). There is a real risk that such beneficiaries will only be able to access less costly, more temporary mobility aids when they may need more sophisticated or complex devices. 

Congress is operating on a ‘pay as you go’ system. Section 608 is estimated to save Medicare $600 million over five years.  

While the CHAMP Act is, overall, very positive legislation for the disability community, this particular provision could seriously harm individuals who depend on power wheelchairs to maintain their independence.

The House and Senate are now in conference hammering out the differences in the two bills.  While NCIL continues to support efforts to reduce fraud and abuse in the Medicare system, we fear that this provision will have the consequence of reducing appropriate access to power wheelchairs for individuals with mobility impairments.  We all know how difficult it is to access quality durable medical equipment and this provision will create one more obstacle to our independence. Call Representative Nancy Pelosi (Speaker of the House of Representatives) at 202-225-4965 and Senator Harry Reid (Majority Leader) at 202-224-3542 and ask them to amend or delete section 608 of the SCHIP/CHAMP Act. For more information, contact Elizabeth Leef at the NCIL office at 202-207-0334 or Elizabeth@ncil.org.

Thank you for your advocacy efforts!