Ann Eubank, LMSW, OTR/L, ATP
VP Community Initiatives
Users First, a program of United Spinal Association
Finding and getting the right wheelchair has become almost impossible. And, if you have a good wheelchair now, don’t count on getting the same type next time you need one, with all the same features.
Without a good wheelchair, you can’t live the life you choose. Our independence is being taken away by crumby wheelchairs that don’t fit our needs and lifestyle. Why is this happening?
There are a lot of reasons. For one, the insurance industry makes money by denying benefits. The more they deny, the wealthier they become. In their mind the wheelchair does not fix anything––so why pay for it? That is the same reason they don’t pay for hearing aids either.
The mindset of public insurance (Medicare and Medicaid) is not much different. They will cut spending for wheelchairs unless someone speaks up about it.
How come you can get all the little blue pills you and your friends might need, but not a wheelchair? That’s because drug companies are richer and more powerful than the wheelchair companies. They make sure they have policies in place to provide their drugs. We need to change policy, but we have to do it grassroots.
This negative cycle results in: 1) Lack of consumer choice; 2) Therapists can’t prescribe the wheelchair they think is best; 3) The medical equipment supplier is unable to provide good product and service without adequate payment from the insurance; and 4) The wheelchair manufacturer cannot design the best wheelchair. This is a big problem.
This is a civil rights issue. We are a community of Americans that live life using wheels. We are not “less than.” If we can’t access the equipment we need, our right to travel freely in our community will be stripped from us.
Who is going to change this? Not big business (insurance companies)––they are making tons of money with things just the way they are. Who then? The only ones who can: You and me, together with all Americans who care that there is such incredible discrimination going on in our country.
What can we do about it? The same thing all minorities in the US have had to do to receive equal treatment. We have to come together with a focused, united voice.
UsersFirst provides a space for you to speak out. It is you speaking, not us. And, we will make sure your story receives the audience it deserves. The purpose is to show the funding agencies and policy makers how important the right wheels are, and that we are not going away. To make sure they know we are going to talk publically about their policies and how negatively they can affect our lives, we will bring your story to Washington, DC, to your state legislator, and to the insurance company. Maybe even some of you will come with us.
