Do you have questions about Medicare and powered wheelchairs? In 2006, the government revised its regulations about medicare and powered wheelchairs. 

Eligibility depends on a number of factors. The beneficiary must have a mobility limitation that significantly hinders the ability to perform one or more mobility related issues at home. The wheelchair must permit the beneficiary to accomplish things that they wouldn't be able to achieve without it. The beneficiary must have sufficient upper body strength to be able to use it.

Medicare beneficiaries who want to be covered for a powered wheelchair need to know that it must be used primarily in the home or a facility that is used like a home, not a skilled nursing facility. The wheelchair must be needed mainly to improve mobility for activities in the home. A good example is if the wheel chair allows a patient to get to the bathroom or to access to the kitchen to prepare food.

There have been rumors that all it takes is a phone call to medicare and powered wheelchairs are delivered. However, the reality is that a doctor must provide certification to the supplier that the beneficiary does qualify for a government funded wheelchair or power scooter.

The medicare provided powered wheelchairs have proven to be quite costly for the federal government and new restrictions are popping up on a regular basis. As a result, it is important to stay up to date on the status of medicare and powered wheelchairs.

Don't listen to everything the scooter providers say on television. Instead, talk to your physician about medicare and powered wheelchairs.