@disability Requesting help understanding wheelchairs and insurance in the U.S.
I am primarily housebound due to MECFS, hEDS, and POTS. I am able to get around my home using a manual #Wheelchair without the footrests, propelling myself with my feet. I recently received a power wheelchair, paid for by my insurance, because my health conditions are energy-limiting and degenerative. 1/
@disability They did not provide me with a ramp or a wheelchair van, of course, so I’m currently unable to use the power chair outside of the house. I have a cheap, folding manual wheelchair that is sagging and is causing me pain, but it’s necessary because I have to use it when my caregiver takes me to appointments. I now have a different insurance provider and requested a new manual #Wheelchair. The durable medical equipment company says I can’t have a new manual wheelchair. 2/
@disability The reason for this is that the power chair is my #Wheelchair on record and I can’t have a chair that is prescribed for someone with a lower level of #Disability than my power wheelchair indicates. Is my only option to purchase a manual wheelchair out of pocket? The medical equipment place said that I can’t even get a custom manual wheelchair, even if I pay out of pocket, because of the power chair being the wheelchair on record. 3/
@disability I’m not able to wheel myself with my arms. I require a caregiver to push my wheelchair if we leave the house. I just want a manual wheelchair that will fit in the car and can be used at appointments and to use with my feet within the house. Is self-pay the only way to do this? And is it true that I can’t get a manual #Wheelchair that’s sized to fit me even if I pay for it? Thank you for any insight. /4 #Disabled#Disability
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