Modern wheelchairs have amazing capabilities. At the push of a button, they can position a user in a “standing” position, or elevate someone to eye level with a non-disabled person. It’s game-changing for wheelchair users who are looking to take care of themselves independently whenever they can. Standing technology promotes healthy circulation to avoid blood clots and bed sores, and reduces the risk of osteoporosis, urinary tract infections, and more.
This week on the “First Opinion Podcast,” two wheelchair users, Paul Amadeus Lane and Jim Meade, talk about how shortsighted it is that Medicare — the primary health insurer for older adults as well as for many people with spinal cord injuries, muscular dystrophy, ALS, and other long-term disabilities — doesn’t cover the cost of wheelchairs equipped with these technologies because they aren’t “primarily medical in nature.”