Medical Supply Companies, Medicaid, and the Madness: A Continuation of the Wheelchair Debacle

Yesterday, I received two phone calls, one regarding my old power chair, one regarding the new.

The first call entailed my dotor's office explaining that the medical supply company (MSC), Bellevue Healthcare (BH), asked for a prescription for the second joystick that they ordered for my old chair. This is absolutely ridiculous as my doctor had already written a prescription for the first joystick that BH had ordered to fix my chair. BH ordered the wrong joystick, and then had to order the correct joystick. Yes, they did order two joysticks, but the second should be on them. BH should not be allowed to ask for a second prescription. With a second prescription, BH will be able to bill my insurance -- a second time -- to cover the cost of their mistake; they were already paid for the first. This means that my doctor has to take the time to write and send a second prescription. This also means that my insurace is possibly going to double pay for BH's mistake, but it is possible that they will not. I already have my new chair, so why should they be obligated to fulfill the  cost of a joystick for an old chair, definitely if they already recently paid for one. Furthermore, this means that BH could demand that my joystick -- the second one that they had to order due to their mistake -- be paid for. I do not wish to be stuck with the bill, and if I just do not pay it, my credit could be on the line. BH made the mistake of ordering the wrong joystick; they should not be able to place the burden on my insurance nor myself; they should have to eat the cost.

The second call came from Redman, the wheelchair company from which I purchased my new power chair. Redman called to inform me that my insurance company did not pay anything close to what they said they would. My chair was preapproved. This means my insurance agreed to the cost of my chair even before it was ordered. Even though Redman gave my insurance an insanely high quote, my insurance agreed to pay the price and they should follow through with their agreement. Redman, like any other business, wants to be paid in full, especially because they were already told they would be. Just like I do not want to be stuck with the bill for the second joystick (on my old chair), I really do not want to get stuck with the bill for my new power chair. And unlike the joystick, I cannot afford to pay for the cost of this chair. This is why I have insurance!

Both Medicaid and my private insurance have thrown wrenches in the process of obtaining a working power chair, and now continue to make waves even after I have received both my "fixed" and new chairs. I thought the long process was over; I was wrong. Yes, I have a working chair, but knowing companies are continuing to take advantage of the consumer is concerning. These are issues that should not have to be dealt with, but as long as these problems are here, I might as well continue to rock the boat.