U.S. Senator Susan Collins is an original cosponsor of bipartisan legislation, authored by Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) that would provide disabled Americans with equipment, such as wheelchairs and electric scooters, that they need to help them live independently.
Right now, Medicare only pays for wheelchairs that are for use in the home, preventing individuals who need a wheelchair for mobility -- and who depend on Medicare to pay for the wheelchair -- from going out into their communities and leading independent lives.
The “Medicare Independent Living Act” would help ensure that wheelchairs and other mobility devices are covered under Medicare if they are needed by patients either in our out of the home.
“Many people with disabling diseases are able to get around in their home with the use of a cane or a walker, but they may need a wheelchair or other device to get around outside of their homes,” said Senator Collins. “This bill would help provide more freedom for those with disabilities to get outside their home—to go to the store, to church, to a doctor’s appointment—and help them live more independent lives within their communities.”
This legislation is supported by the MS Society, Paralyzed Veterans of America, United Cerebral Palsy, Alpha One, and the Medicare Rights Center.
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