Larson Celebrates Medicare Change Ensuring Access to Wheelchairs and Accessories

Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) celebrated the announcement from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that it will permanently protect manual Complex Rehabilitation Technologies (CRT) wheelchairs and accessories from the CMS' competitive bidding process. This will ensure patients with severe disabilities due to ALS, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis and other debilitating illnesses or injuries can access individually-configured manual wheelchairs and seating systems. In the 116th Congress, Larson authored a bill that became law to exclude specialized manual wheelchairs and technologies from inappropriate payment rates and treat them the same as electric wheelchairs. In June, he led a Congressional letter to urge CMS to apply the change permanently to manual CRT wheelchairs and accessories. The latest policy decision from CMS does just that.

"People with severe disabilities rely on these complex technologies to live their lives and maintain their independence. They shouldn't have to worry whether the specialized products they need will be available. That's why I authored legislation and worked with CMS to make this fix permanent. This week's announcement will help companies, like Rocky Hill's Numotion, to provide people suffering from degenerative diseases like ALS or who have become paralyzed with the needed equipment to provide them with the tools to live their lives with maximum mobility and independence. I applaud CMS and the Biden Administration for making this change permanent," said Larson.