News, Waste watch: Medicare admits overpaying for items like wheelchairs (Florida, monthly)

[JD59]

WHAT: Medicare pays $800 to rent a wheelchair that retails for $350

COST: Medicare spent $188 million on manual wheelchairs in 2009; officials can't say how much of that involved overpayments

Medicare wheelchair rental overpaid - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

[texdav]

Plus the fact that they required it and the medicare person paid monthly pasyments too. medicaid is even worse but they don't pay for government mistakes.But that is a drop in the bucket compoared to most governamnt waste.

[MotleyCrew]

I take my mom to an assisted living center for respit care now and then and have witnessed this waste first hand. Several of the gals at her table are in scooters and electric wheelchairs. Two of the decided they wanted new scooters and believe me, nothing wrong with the ones they had, and ordered two new ones compliments of Medicare. They cost several thousand dollars. What a waste and we have created such an entitlement mentality in some people it is pathetic.

[chuck_steak]

Originally Posted by MotleyCrew

I take my mom to an assisted living center for respit care now and then and have witnessed this waste first hand. Several of the gals at her table are in scooters and electric wheelchairs. Two of the decided they wanted new scooters and believe me, nothing wrong with the ones they had, and ordered two new ones compliments of Medicare. They cost several thousand dollars. What a waste and we have created such an entitlement mentality in some people it is pathetic.

They can get a new one every five years. The batteries go out on those after a few years. The tires get worn and they become unsafe.

[MotleyCrew]

Originally Posted by chuck_steak

They can get a new one every five years. The batteries go out on those after a few years. The tires get worn and they become unsafe.

They looked newer to me but I may be wrong.