Does the PPACA affect Medicare reimbursement for power wheelchairs?
Yes. Sec. 3136 of the PPACA is entitled “Revision of payment for power driven wheelchairs.” This section provides that the purchase option will be available only to complex rehabilitation power wheelchairs. The purchase option will no longer be available to other power wheelchairs. Also, the rental payment amounts will change from 10 percent of the purchase price for the first three months and 7.5 percent for the remaining rental months, to 15 percent for the first three months and 6 percent for the remaining rental months. Question: I understand that the health reform act affects CPI-U increases. Is this correct? Answer: Yes. Sec. 3401 of the PPACA (“Productivity Improvements”) provides that, beginning with 2011, the CPI-U update will be reduced by a “productivity adjustment,” which may result in no CPI-U update for the year or payment rates for a year that are lower than the payment rates for the preceding year. The definition of “productivity adjustment” is a mouthful. It is defined
