If any of you are seeking/needing a new rehab power chair or adjustments/parts to the chair you already have (like batteries, tires, electrical features, etc.) I just received notice from my chair (Permobil) and cushion (Roho) top representative to actively read the following and act upon it before year's end or we, quadriplegic's using power chairs, will end up paying out of pocket for them:
"At the end of 2015, Congress passed temporary legislation that instructed CMS to delay the implementation of severe rate cuts to rehab accessories (such as power tilt, power recline, seat cushions, backrests, batteries, etc.) for a period of 12 months. Now that legislation is set to expire at year end, and if Congress doesn’t pass new legislation during this upcoming lame duck session, CMS will put these severe cuts in place which will make access to these critical accessories even more difficult than today. I can tell you with absolute certainty that today’s Medicare rates for items such as batteries barely cover the dealer’s cost to purchase, and leave no room for any level of service. Any further cuts to many of these items will leave the dealer with no option but to deny service, or possibly offer the cheapest possible (likely Chinese made) product. That is pretty much were we are today with CMS and Medicare, which is quite a sad statement. We need every stakeholder (consumers, clinicians, suppliers, manufactures, family members, etc.) to put pressure on their members of Congress to pass pending legislation (Senate bill 2196, House bill 3229), which would instruct CMS to permanently abandon these cuts. If you can help spread the “call to action” to members of the disability community and their families, that would be great. Here is a link to information that summarizes the issue at hand and provides a very easy method to contact your members of Congress. http://www.ncart.us/. Usually what works best is to send an email (personalizing to your situation, asking the member of Congress to sign on as a co-sponsor of the legislation), and follow that up with a phone call to the DC office of that respective member of Congress. Ask for the member of staff that is responsible for health care, typically a legislative assistant assigned to health care. Remember they are representing you, so press that you do get to speak to this individual. When you have them on the phone, let them know how this issue impacts you and appeal that their boss (Senator or Congressperson) signs on in support of the proposed legislation. It really only takes a couple dozen calls from different constituents, to get a Congressional office to take a matter like this on their radar screen. *And do emphasize the urgency of this matter, since action from Congress is needed before year end!!!"*
