Tips for Avoiding Mobility Scams
Unfortunately, there are cases of Medicare fraud across the country where some beneficiaries were promised free power wheelchairs, and many either received nothing or a lesser valued product.
To help avoid becoming the victim of fraud, here are two important tips to the mobility impaired:
- Beware of anyone who knocks on your door or approaches you on the street or at a senior center and offers to take you to a physician to get a free power wheelchair or scooter. Legitimate providers do not do that.
- Avoid anyone who will not allow you to use your own physician and insists that you go to theirs. Legitimate providers will prefer to work with your own personal physician.
Here are three additional questions that consumers should ask:
- How long has the provider been serving the community and how long have they been certified as a Medicare provider?
- Will they furnish written literature to explain eligibility and costs?
- Do they ensure patient confidentiality?
Beyond tips, always get a reference from someone who now has power mobility equipment or from a physician. Any who are concerned about fraud or questionable practices should contact the Medicare and Medicaid Hotline, 1-800-447-8477.
