Mobility Today: Will Competitive Bidding Restrict Access?
Subscribe
WASHINGTON, June 15, 2007— The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has implemented significant changes to the Medicare power mobility benefit, and more are on the way. The objective for these changes has been to create a better system for (A) diagnosing the right mobility equipment for Medicare beneficiaries, (B) documenting beneficiaries' need for power wheelchairs or scooters and (C) promptly providing the mobility equipment to senior citizens and people living with disabilities.
This important Medicare benefit provides beneficiaries with mobility equipment that can help them regain freedom and independence.
The specific changes to the benefit ranging from coverage policy and price cuts to competitive bidding and new standards for suppliers presumably were designed to improve the process. Unfortunately, however, data seems to indicate that collectively these changes may be imperiling the power mobility benefit and restricting access to power mobility equipment for some of the most vulnerable people in our society.
The numbers tell the story. A new process was implemented last fall to update the coding for power mobility equipment, and in November CMS severely cut reimbursements to suppliers. The results were stunning: Only 9,860 Medicare beneficiaries received a power wheelchair or scooter in December 2006. Since January, utilization has stabilized at between 12,000 and 13,000 mobility units distributed each month to beneficiaries.
Those numbers strongly indicate that a significant number of seniors and people living with physical impairments are not getting the mobility equipment they need. CMS stated in August 2005 that appropriate utilization would be 187,000 units per year, or 15,600 a month. Not only is Medicare failing to meet those projections, but with new seniors and people with disabilities qualifying for Medicare the last two years, there should be 214,000 beneficiaries receiving mobility equipment in 2007 at a rate of 18,000 a month.
What's happening to these people?
We fear they are becoming prisoners in their own homes. Without power mobility, many are too weak, or their illnesses and injuries are too severe, for them to maneuver manual wheelchairs. So they are forced to stay in their homes, oftentimes confined to a bed or a chair until a relative, neighbor or caregiver arrives to assist them. Or they are forced to go prematurely to nursing homes or other facilities, where they lose even more of their freedom and independence because they lack the mobility to care for themselves.
The bottom line is that seniors and people living with disabilities should have access to power mobility equipment. It seems the federal government's priorities are askew. Shouldn't CMS be upholding Medicare's commitment to provide needed medical equipment to senior citizens and people living with disabilities?
In essence, CMS is turning back the clock. For many people, a power wheelchair helps achieve freedom and independence. For those living with physical impairments, it usually means dramatically improving the quality of life for someone who has already suffered many hardships.
We fear that competitive bidding will continue the downward spiral; it is a new obstacle likely to further restrict access to power mobility for Medicare beneficiaries. Already, there is such concern about its consequences that legislation has been submitted in the House that would remove mobility equipment from competitive bidding for beneficiaries suffering from the most debilitating injuries.
But what we must ask ourselves is: Don't all Medicare beneficiaries living with mobility impairments deserve the same treatment. They are all seeking to restore some dignity, and enjoy more freedom and independence through increased mobility. Is it really fair to differentiate between people living with physical impairments? When is one person's pain and agony deemed to be more than another's?
Perhaps this creates an opportunity for the Administration or Congress to reaffirm its commitment to seniors and the disabled by excluding all powered mobility equipment from the initial round of competitive bidding. That would be a step towards getting the nation's priorities right, and Putting Medicare Beneficiaries First!
Mobility Today is published periodically by The SCOOTER Store to inform Congress, policymakers and the media about the latest developments regarding the Medicare power mobility benefit. We are committed to helping seniors and people living with disabilities regain their freedom and independence with power mobility equipment. The SCOOTER Store is the largest supplier of power wheelchairs and scooters in America. For more information, please contact Mark B. Leita (830) 627-4717.
