Medicare Electric Wheelchair Programs Who Qualifies for Electric Wheelchairs and Scooters

Image source: http://homecaremag.com/sites/default/files/u4/Daytona%203%20GT%203%20Wheel%20Scooter%2C%205x5.jpg

Advertisements for motorized wheelchairs and power scooters are all over the television set, and in magazines. They boast of low prices, and some of them claim to be able to give away these items for free. But that is if the person in need of the device qualifies for the free wheel chair or scooter. So, the big question is, who qualifies for these free mobility aids?

If you have Medicare, you do not automatically qualify for a motorized scooter or electric wheelchair. You have to have a doctor prescribe one for you, so be careful of sales people that are too eager to make the sell, and tell you there is no need for a prescription. Also, the doctor will most likely not prescribe an electric wheel chair or power scooter simply for ease of movement outside your home. That is part of the stipulations of obtaining one. You must present a need for better mobility inside your home, not outside. The physician also will not prescribe a mobility aid if it is not a dire need.

Motorized chairs can be rented through Medicare. After you have paid your deductible, you can rent the mobility device for ten months. As of the ninth month, you will be sent an option to purchase your wheel chair. If you choose to purchase the wheel chair, Medicare will make three more monthly payments on the device, and then it is yours to keep. You will also be responsible for maintenance, but Medicare will pay eighty percent of these fees. If you do not wish to purchase your mobility device, Medicare will make fifteen payments in all, and your device is yours as long as you need it. You must pay a maintenance fee every six months, eighty percent of which is covered by Medicare.

Other requirements for qualification are:

Weakness in your upper body that would require the need for an electronic wheel chair You cannot walk under your own power You are capable of getting in and out of the electric wheelchair, and do it safely You have to stay in a chair or bed most of the day You have the need for the mobility device in order to move about freely inside your own home

If you have a need for a motorized mobility device, and are on Medicare, speak with your family physician about your need. They will be able to answer your questions completely, and instruct you as to how to obtain a mobility device of your own.