Need Advice on Applying for Power Chair!

I have applied for a power chair and the medicare people are supposed to contact me and ask me questions. I called "The Scooter Store" and they asked me a lot of questions and now medicare is supposed to call. Is there anything I should know? I really need a chair or a scooter as It is getting more and more difficult to do anything. Really, really need your advice!!!

I did some research on the power chair after I started using them at the Wa-Mart and my grocery store. My daughter would take me to the mall and she would use my companion wheel chair to cover the distances, and I would push it for balance while looking in the store. Now I can go by myself to Wal-Mart, Target or the grocery store by myself and use their power chairs. What a sense of freedom!!!

Now, back to the subject... Medicare will only pay for your power chair if you need it INSIDE your home! If you need it for outside use, that doesn't qualify. Now, I haven't looked into this for about a year, and the rules may have changed, but keep this in mind when you get your questionaire.

Good luck and keep me informed on how it goes. If you qualify, get a red one with yellow flame stripes! LOL
Pati

I spoke to Medcare people yesterday and some wise so &so**** told me to submit the prescription to a local dealer, pay for it and then submit the bill for approval??? Can you believe this? I'm not going to take this for a final answer.

Good to hear from you patishell---

There is a company that advertises on TV that says if you apply to them, they pre-qualify you to see if you fit the requirments. Then they submit it to Medicare. If Medicare refuse it, the chair is free, Now, we both know that nothing like that is REALLY free, but apparently if you don't fit the requirements they will tell you and not submit the request. I think working through an established company would be helpful to you. They're in the business to sell chairs and seems like they would make every effort to help you get one. You might go on GOOGLE and see what you come up with power chairs. I know when I was looking into it there was a lot of information on the Internet.
Pati

Thanks

I'm not familar with Medicare but was told by the company that we got Bobbie's from that the insurance wouldn't pay any more than Medicare. They delivered Bobbie's chair and we paid nothing at all. Try another company. I'll look tomorrow or over the week end and find the company we got her's from.

Edited to say that you will have to have a prescription from your doctor. Hopefully that isn't a problem.

This message was edited Nov 6, 2004 1:07 AM

Obtaining a prescription is not a problem.

I wish I could be as helpful to you on this as you are being to me but I have no prior experience or knowledge to draw on.

I'm sure this post will work for you. it looks like Georgiaredclay may have the answer.

As you may remember, I bought my electric scooter from the classified ads since I didn't qualify for Medicare. However your request and situation are totally different from mine and I feel you should qualify.

Best,
Dave

I contacted the "Scooter Store". They took all my info ,told me I qualify, then called back the same day and said they don't do business with MEDICARE???? What a bunch of phonies! They are the one's that claim "If they approve you and medicare does'nt they will give you the chair free".

Tplant;

Any luck, yet?

Not Yet! I will take a break for awhile. My MD said he will look into it for me.(FRUSTRATING isn't it?)
P.S. He changed my Med from lipitor to zocor. My legs were getting weak from the effects of lipitor. It has an effect on leg muscles and zocor does not. I do feel better.

This message was edited Nov 10, 2004 2:51 PM

Glad to hear that, Tplant. I sometimes believe that RX drugs can cause more problems than they fix.

After I made my last post, I decided to call Medicare. I had their old number. As you probably know, their new number is 800-633-4227.

I told them that I needed a power assist chair and what could they do about it. The said that they will cover a "power assist device" to up to $300. That's not a chair but the gadget that you can put in one with a motor that lifts you up

Maybe that could be your fall back position. It's simply getting an RX from your MD and shopping for the best one you could get for that price or less.

Is this any help?

No not really. I can get out of a chair with some stress but it's the walking that makes my legs weak. As I mentioned before I have post polio syndrome but I'm hoping my legs don't get any weaker!

So, you're looking for somthing similar to what I have but designed for indoor use. In other words, a "Power Chair" and not a scooter. Right?

I can and do use the scooter I posted in my thread indoors because it's a 3 wheeled front wheel drive job with a tight turning radius and I didn't have to widen any doorways. Though it lacks the conveniences of a "Power Chair", I prefer it because I can use it outside where "Power Chairs" would get stuck.

Also, besides gardening in it, I use it to take "long walks" around the neighborhood, for shopping and for things like taking out the trash.

Something like the "Hoveround" goes sideways (which mine won't) and is better designed for indoors use so I guess that's what you've decided on for your situation.

My understanding is that PPS is usually a short term deal so maybe the worst is over.

Keep the faith.

Tplant, you got false information from someone. We just got my mother a scooter from The Scooter Store. It only took about a week. They did all the paperwork, sent everything to Medicare and it didn't cost us a dime! As soon as we were approved, the next day, someone brought the scooter chair out and spent an hour showing mom how to use it.

Call this #: 1-800-723-4535 ext 2111 and ask for Jessica. She was our representative. Tell her that Nancy (Alma Gandy's daughter) referred you. She will take care of you, do all the paperwork for you, and then she'll call back in a few days to let you know what Medicare will pay for. It's possible that it won't cost you a dime.

As stated above, you MUST need the chair for INSIDE your home or Medicare will not pay for it. (The scooter chairs are about $6,000!!!). So tell them that you'll need it to get from one room to the next. More than likely, you're doctor will back you up. The chair must fit in your home and be able to move from room to room and down a hall, etc. If your hall isn't wide enough or there's not enough space to maneuver the chair, they'll turn you down. You must be able to use it in your home.

Now, after they leave, what you do with the chair is your own business. LOL If you wnat to use the chair outside, install a ramp. These chairs are motorized and very heavy. You won't be lifting it in and out of anything. You'll need ramps to get it off your porch, into a vehicle, etc.

Now I must say, these scooter chairs are just plain fun! LOL I've gotten into mom's just to see how it works. It's so comfortable. And it's easy to operate with a little joystick. The rep that delivers it will adjust everything to fit your body, and he'll adjust the joystick commands to suit your speed too. Also, you never have to worry about repairs or battery replacements. The Scooter Store will send out a rep FOR FREE to replace batteries and make any repairs the chair may ever need for as long as you own it. Of course, for $6000, they SHOULD! You could buy a small car for that price!

So, call Jessica. She's sweet as pie and will take good care of you. And let your doc know that they'll be faxing him a form to complete to prescribe the chair. And good luck! If you have any other questions, email me. I am the primary caregiver for my mom and have found a few useful tricks over the years when dealing with drug companies and such. Good luck!

NancyAnn

NancyAnn;

I feel it's premature for me to post this since Tplant hasn't had the opportunity to yet read and respond to yours.

But I can't hold back the deep appreciation I feel for the wise counsel and help you've given him.

It's people like you that make DG the valuable website it is.

Thanks a million!

Best,
Dave