Medicare Information for Power Mobility
Medicare is a health care benefit for those 65 or older or for those who have been disabled for more than 2 years. You qualify for this benefit if you worked and payed into the system and meet at least one of the previous two criteria. You may qualify if a family member qualifies. The following italicized information was provided by social security:
You Are 65 or Older:Most people 65 or older are eligible for Medicare hospital insurance (Part A) based on their own—or their spouse's— employment. You are eligible at 65 if you:
receive Social Security or railroad retirement benefits; If You Are Under 65: Before age 65, you are eligible for Medicare hospital insurance if you:
get Social Security disability benefits and have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's) disease; or Under certain conditions, your spouse, divorced spouse, widow or widower, or a dependent parent may be eligible for hospital insurance when he or she turns 65, based on your work record. Also, disabled widows and widowers under age 65, disabled divorced widows and widowers under 65, and disabled children may be eligible for Medicare, usually after a 24-month qualifying period. (For disabled widows/widowers, previous months of eligibility for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) based on disability may count toward the qualifying period.) If You Do Not Qualify Under These Rules Certain aged people who do not qualify for Medicare hospital insurance under these rules may be able to get it by paying a monthly premium. They must also always enroll in medical insurance (Part B) to get this coverage. Certain disabled people who lost premium-free hospital insurance due to work can get Medicare hospital insurance again by paying a premium. Medicare Medical Insurance (also known as Part B) Almost anyone who is 65 or older or who is under 65 but eligible for hospital insurance can enroll for Medicare medical insurance by paying a monthly premium. Aged people don't need any Social Security or government work credits for this part of Medicare Medicare and Power Mobility Products You must have part B insurance to obtain an electric wheelchair as this benefit falls under medical equipment which is covered through your part B insurance. Medicare covers power mobility if you need the power wheelchair or electric scooter within your home, are unable to operate a manual wheelchair, and need the mobility product to perform any or all of your activities of daily living (ADLs). For a power wheelchair or electric scooter to be covered, the treating physician must conduct a face-to-face examination of the patient to determine and document the medical necessity for the item. Coverage criteria for Power Mobility Devices (PMD) are found in the National Coverage Determination (NCD) for Mobility Assistive Equipment (NCD Manual Section 280.3) which became effective on May 5, 2005. The examination must include pertinent elements of the patient’s history, physical examination, and functional assessment describing the patient’s mobility limitation and his/her physical and mental ability to operate a PMD. The treating physician must complete this examination before writing an order for the PMD. A copy of the examination report must be received by the supplier within 30 days after the examination is completed. (Exception: If this examination is performed during a hospital or nursing home stay, the supplier must receive the report of the examination within 30 days after discharge.)