Did You Know: Temporary Wheelchair Replacement Coverage

Did You Know:

Most commercial insurance carriers don’t cover loaner equipment for CRT users? 

It’s common to expect a loaner or rental car coverage when your vehicle is being repaired, but most commercial insurance carriers don’t cover loaner equipment or the associated temporary replacement fee for CRT users while their chair is being repaired. Medicare, on the other hand, does cover a temporary replacement during a repair, but only for one month. Because of other factors that extend the CRT repair timeline, such as prior authorization requirements, repairs can sometimes take up to two months to be completed. 

Educate Yourself: Temporary replacement coverage can differ depending on your insurance carrier. Seek to understand your health plan benefits, including any provisions regarding temporary replacement when your primary chair is being repaired.

How Would Temporary Replacement Coverage Help CRT Users?

CRT equipment is highly customized and specifically tailored to each user’s needs—so a lengthy repair isn’t just an inconvenience. CRT equipment ensures users can live their lives with optimum mobility and independence, and repairs often leave users without the equipment they need to do so. Loss of mobility and independence often lead to lost wages, missed appointments and time with friends and family in addition to potentially dangerous medical complications. Temporary replacement coverage would help CRT users by: 

• Since many CRT users don’t have reliable backup chairs, temporary replacement coverage would ensure CRT users have the ability and equipment needed to keep moving through their daily lives, even though the replacement chair may not be customized to meet all of their customized needs.  
• Temporary replacement coverage would help reduce health risks associated with loss of mobility. 
• Temporary replacement coverage may enable CRT suppliers to maintain a wider range of loaner options, though replacement chairs are not a direct replacement and cannot be customized to fit every CRT user’s specific needs. 

Did You Know You Can Make a Difference?

As a CRT user, your experience can help legislators and health insurance carriers understand the value of coverage for wheelchair replacement. You can help by: 

Research What’s Happening in Your State: Follow advocacy organizations like NCART, iNRRTS, AAHomecare and other advocates to stay up-to-date about ongoing efforts and learn what is happening in your state. 

Share Your Story: Lawmakers may not fully understand the positive impact temporary wheelchair replacement coverage could have on your daily life. By sharing your story and real examples of how having access to a loaner chair would affect your life, work and health, you can help them understand the benefits temporary replacement coverage would provide. Find your elected officials. 

Did you know that temporary replacement coverage is only one of several issues currently creating barriers for CRT users? Learn more.