How do I afford mobility equipment?

June 10, 2013 10:39 AM

I am a fat disabled woman in need of an electric wheelchair. How do I afford one?

I am disabled due to multiple issues amongst them cancer, a muscle disorder, and a multitude of other issues. I am also what is considered morbidly obese, so any wheelchair has to be a heavy duty one.

My insurance is refusing to cover one. I am trying to continue working, but I am at the point that if I do not figure out a way to get some mobility equipment I will have to quit my job. My husband and I are poor.

We both work as much as we can, but with my disability I cannot work as much as I wish I could. He works 70 hours a week to keep us afloat.

My question is, how do I afford this with, little money, not great credit (medical bills from my cancer killed are credit,) and being a large woman so used equipment is limited?

Sidenote: I do have a manual chair, but I cannot push myself. My shoulders come out of joint when I try to do this. (this is due to the muscle issue)

Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

posted by anonymous to Health & Fitness (13 answers total)

Have you appealed your insurance decision?
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 10:41 AM on June 10, 2013 [1 favorite]

You don't give your location....if in the US, do you qualify for Medicaid? I think they help pay for this.
The problem with that is, if you are "afloat" (although poor) you may not qualify; I think you have to be almost destitute.
posted by thelonius at 10:42 AM on June 10, 2013 [2 favorites]

Insurance companies have weird rules for what constitutes a "medical need" for an electric wheelchair. You might see if your doctor or their staff can look into it more, and appeal the insurance decision in a way that will help. (They might not have mentioned that you can't use a manual chair because of the muscle disorder, for instance.)
posted by jaguar at 10:44 AM on June 10, 2013 [2 favorites]

(To elaborate: I know that the Medicare rules, which most insurance companies will follow, say that you don't qualify for an electric chair if you don't need it inside the house, too. There are just weird finicky rules like that.)
posted by jaguar at 10:46 AM on June 10, 2013

If appealing to your insurer won't work, this sounds like the kind of thing modest needs was built for.
posted by dpx.mfx at 10:54 AM on June 10, 2013 [3 favorites]

If your doctor cannot help you, you could try a local organization for the disabled. A directory here (site is for disabled children, but they have links to many organizations that also support adults).
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 10:55 AM on June 10, 2013

A good GP can help you fight the insurance denial. The last time I was in for an office visit my doc was in and out of my exam room trying to deal with another patient's insurance denial for a motorized wheelchair -- he had already written at least 3 letters and was willing to do whatever else it took. If your GP won't help or you've already gone down that road and been denied, you could try looking for disability advocates near you. There are non-profits that will help you with appealing the denial and advocate for you. If you can have the mods update with your general location I might be able to point you more specifically to resources near you.

And this is not the question you asked, but if you've got gigantic medical bills you can't pay it might be worth talking to a bankruptcy attorney. Depending on a person's situation, bankruptcy can make the difference between barely afloat and keeping their head above water.
posted by katemonster at 10:59 AM on June 10, 2013 [1 favorite]

Do you go to church? Would they be willing to help with a fundraiser? Do you have links to any community groups that would help with a fundraiser? Would your boss cover the cost (to keep you coming to work) and then deduct some from your check every month?
posted by myselfasme at 11:00 AM on June 10, 2013

If you are in the US you might be able to get some help from your state Vocational Rehabilitation services, and they seem to be somewhere in Office of Workforce Development. If you let us know where you are through a mod we might be able to help more.
posted by mareli at 11:03 AM on June 10, 2013

The thing about mobility chairs or scooters is that everyone who needs one (usually) already has one, paid for by insurance. So..how do you get one?
1. Craigslist. Don't pay more than $200.00. As I mentioned people who need them already have them, people who sell them are usually stuck trying to get rid of them.
2. Call the local Masonic Temple. They usually have a room full of donated medical equipment. ( I gave them my Mom's old power wheelchair. She weighed in close to 280#.)
3. 2nd hand store. They usually have a few. see #1 above.

Good luck.
posted by Gungho at 12:03 PM on June 10, 2013 [6 favorites]

In some states Vocational Rehab is under the Department of Education and won't help if you are currently working. However, there are assistive technology grant/rental/reduce cost programs in a lot of states.

Again this is only good for the US and would be state specific. Can you please let a mod know your location so we can be of more help?
posted by Librarygeek at 12:37 PM on June 10, 2013

You should be able to get a mobility scooter at about 25% of the cost new, through Craigslist or the equivalent. I have seen them lined up outside a local pawnshop. This will not be covered by insurance, of course.

The other cost that you may not have taken into consideration is transporting your scooter around town. If you plan to take it via your car, truck, or van, you will have to get it in. A hoist is not cheap, and often has to be installed by a professional.

If you plan to use your scooter around the house, only, then the problem will only be getting it home and then into the house.

Good luck, and happy scooting.
posted by Midnight Skulker at 1:20 PM on June 10, 2013

I use a scooter to get around and it's great. I bought mine used on Craigslist for $600 five years ago and it was an excellent buy; the original cost had been nearly $3,000 and it was like new - still had the little nubbies on the tires, etc. Mine is the scooter type - with the front tiller control and basket as well as the back basket, which holds my oxygen. It's excellent for running around town - I take the regular city bus everywhere, scoot to the grocery store from home for groceries, scoot to the doctor's office, bank, pharmacy, etc. without any need for a bus because they're within a mile or two of home. A couple of tips: Medicare will buy one after much stuff and nonsense from your doctor, but as noted above, they only care that you need it IN your home - they don't care if you ever leave the house again. The kind they give you is what's called the power chair - no front basket, hand control on one armrest, no back basket, just a bag sorta thing attached to the back of the seat. That may be just what you need for work, so check with your doctor and make him fight for you. A very important tip: Stay away from the store that advertises on TV that they'll get one for you and if Medicare doesn't pay for it, it's yours anyway, etc. - it's a terrible scam. You can memail me for more info on that if you like. Also, get one that's sturdy, made heavy-duty, a thick, spring seat, made for 300 lbs+. A friend bought one from Craigslist because it was cheap and looked nice, but it was so lightweight it flipped over the first time she turned a corner too fast and she got scratched up a bit and frightened a lot. I couldn't turn mine over if I tried - so there's a big difference. I plug mine in overnight each time I've been out during the day and it never lets me down. I buy a set of batteries for it about once a year; I buy them from a Batteries-For-Everything store, not from a medical mobility store. I pay a little over $100 for two of them, installed and warrantied for a year - and the Battery Store (Toby's in Spokane) does a thorough electrical check when they install them; the medical mobility store gets nearly $200 for the same thing. I don't know where you live, but watch Craigslist for a power chair or scooter for about $500. If you don't have the money, beat on doors of churches and nonprofits and anyone who helps the disabled and ask for help. I wish you the best and hope you have many miles ahead of you in a scooter or power chair.
posted by aryma at 12:21 AM on June 11, 2013 [2 favorites]