Our Voice: Lawmakers should approve wheelchair bill

The petition drive that would have helped thwart Medicare’s plan to increase the cost of power wheelchair accessories has failed to get the required number of signatures.

Which means that avenue for change is now closed.

However, there is still hope. A bill with bipartisan support has been introduced in an attempt to prevent Medicare’s disastrous proposal, which is set to take effect in January if lawmakers don’t stop it.

This critical piece of legislation needs to be approved as soon as possible so the most disabled and vulnerable people in our communities can continue to get the support they need.

For six years, thanks to the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA), rehabilitative power wheelchairs and accessories have been funded on a set fee schedule. Now the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services want to change that process and shift to a bidding program, which will raise out-of-pocket costs for people who need specialized equipment.

This could be devastating for people with ALS, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries and many other debilitating illnesses. They need custom-made wheelchairs that recline and tilt, with hand controls and special seat and back cushions that can provide proper positioning. Expecting to treat these features as anything other than necessities is just wrong.

But even with a strong push-back from legislators and health care organizations, Medicare officials have yet to change their position.

Fortunately, Congressman Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., has formally introduced H.R. 3229, which would clarify language in the Medicare improvement act and ensure that additional devices are considered fundamental parts of the wheelchair, and not arbitrary extras.

Congressman Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside, is the first representative from our state to sign on as a co-sponsor of the bill, which we are glad to see. Sen. Patty Murray also has opposed the Medicare change. She was one of 23 senators who signed off on a letter in August calling for Medicare officials to reconsider their stance on the issue, saying the policy change goes against the intent of the MIPPA.

We hope others in the Washington delegation follow the example set by Newhouse and Murray, and push to keep the current fee schedule in place.

About 4 million people in the U.S. use wheelchairs, and of those, 400,000 use chairs that are designed specifically for them. For those people, it is critical they get the financial support they need to help them live healthier and more productive lives.

If Medicare officials don’t see that and halt their plans, lawmakers need to force them.

This story was originally published November 5, 2015 at 4:17 PM with the headline "Our Voice: Lawmakers should approve wheelchair bill."