What I have been up to and WHAT MEDICARE MEDICAID DOES NOT WANT YOU TO KNOW WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN UP TO!!!!!!!!

Well not much. This is the season, autumnal, where I get kind of depressed. It is the time of year that many events have occured to change my life. The most important getting Polio at age 4. Many years later my body seems to just want to stop. I must take it easy, rest and give myself some space and time to live with what I've got. Iam having "mucho" trouble walking. Besides having gained weight, a real problem for PPSER'S, my muscles in my "stronger side" have been rebelling. My leg is weaker, I am having more difficulty standing for longer than 10 minutes, walking has become almost unbearable. I haven't completley stopped walking. Thank goodness for my scooter though. What I have been learning about the scooter and going places is quite interesting. Besides getting me to places that would be impossible to walk it has saved my strength, lessened fatigue and given me a more positive outlook on life. There are still times while I am "scootering" that I notice people looking through me; often walking right at me where I have to stop and move for them. I observe walkers. I wonder how it would feel to walk like a "normal person"! How it feels to NOT THINK ABOUT WALKING and just hop from place to place. Jump in the car, out of the car, run into the store, run out of the store, carry bags, lift children into cars or carts, run, etc. etc! Even in my home standing at the sink, bending to put dishes in the dishwasher, laundry, putting away groceries, cooking; all everyday acts that take planning on my part. I must organizine my time so that I do not fatigue early in the day. I have also been wondering a lot about the aging process and in combination with the Polio weakness how my life has changed. I so much would like to hope a plane and visit my children, friends, relatives. But traveling alone is not in the cards for me. I need a companion. Any decision I make is always made with conditions about mobility. I know it will only get more challenging as I grow older. So I try to keep a focus of being in the moment which helps me appreciate seeing people walk, run, jump and move thru space and dreaming that my body can do the same energeticially.

Medicare and Medicaid info this week has also been depressing. On October 1 there is to be a vote to change a Medicare/Medicaid policy on paying for mobility devices, chairs, scooters, for recipients. The bottom line is that they DO NOT want to pay for the best possible unit for a disabled or elderly person. They want to pay for the least expensive. What this means to us is that we get, maybe, a cheap item that cannot possible take the use required. I have had my experience with so called less expensive units. They fall apart. It is difficult to get service and replacement parts. So then one becomes housebound and maybe even unable to get around the home. Less expensive is not the best solution and only makes the disabled and elderly more invisible and uncared for by the rest of the population. Check the following articles and write your congressman/woman.

Pressure Builds On CMS To Revise Changes To Medicare Coverage Of
Power Mobility Equipment
15 Sep 2006

Members of the House and Senate have joined stakeholders in urging the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to delay implementation of a new policy on October 1 that would force many Medicare beneficiaries into power wheelchairs and scooters that are inadequate for their mobility impairments.

In recent letters to CMS and HHS, Sen. Arlen Specter, Sen. Rick Santorum and Rep. Don Sherwood, all Pennsylvania Republicans, asked CMS to delay the implementation and make significant changes in the
guidelines on coding, pricing and coverage policies for the medical equipment.

Meanwhile, 12 esteemed organizations representing people living with disabilities signed an advertisement in ROLL CALL today urging Congress and HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt to "STOP IMPLEMENTATION OF
THIS HARMFUL POLICY." The ad stated that the new CMS policy will force seniors and people living with disabilities of all ages into inadequate power wheelchairs and scooters.

In a recent letter to CMS, Sen. Santorum wrote: "It is my understanding that numerous stakeholders have expressed significant issues, including concerns about patient access and having adequate
time for implementation, so that access to medically appropriate equipment is not compromised." Sen. Santorum "strongly urged" that implementation be postponed until January.

Furthermore, Sen. Santorum noted that while the National Coverage Determination revamped the coverage criteria for mobility equipment more than a year ago, "since that time, others and myself have
weighed in strongly to express our concerns with certain proposed policy changes and timeframes. Specifically, changes to the power mobility benefit, which are seen as counter to the expert guidance
provided to CMS by product engineers, physicians, clinicians, and other industry stakeholders.''

In his letter, Rep. Sherwood said that the recent changes "will create major disruptions to the power mobility industry and result in denial of coverage in appropriate devices. These concerns prompt
me to respectfully request that you postpone the October 1, 2006 implementation date for new codes, pricing and coverage policies."

Sen. Specter said the new policies "are being quickly implemented while many are expressing concerns and problems that need to be addressed." He urged that the problems be rectified, and that CMS
then provide a 45-day comment period and a 45-day notice period followed by a 90-day transition period. "These adjustments," he said, "will provide for a transition period for new codes, pricing
and coverage policies that will allow for appropriate education and adaptation to the significant changes."

Clinicians and advocates for people living with disabilities welcomed the support from the lawmakers, saying it is needed to make CMS change its course, USA

"What CMS is doing is wrong," said Henry Claypool, an advocate from the Independence Care System. "Older Americans and people with disabilities are looking for Congress to weigh in and support their
constituents who rely on Medicare to provide adequate medical equipment. We need for Congress to hold CMS accountable for this attempt to further restrict access to power wheelchairs in a fashion
that undercuts the physician's role in determining which wheelchair will best promote the health and independence of those with Medicare."

For months, concerns have been raised about the new polices that CMS intends to implement by October 1. Clinicians and advocates for people with disabilities maintain that the policies will force
beneficiaries living with mobility impairments, many of whom are senior citizens, to receive power wheelchairs and scooters unable to meet their medical needs. Under the procedures scheduled for
implementation on October 1, Medicare coverage for power wheelchairs and scooters will be restricted to inexpensive, low-powered models, leaving people with diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's
disease, or post-polio syndrome in the position of no longer qualifying for a power chair appropriate for the current and future medical needs.

"Currently, Medicare pays for power mobility equipment only if it is required to help a beneficiary perform essential daily activities inside their home, such as eating, dressing or using the bathroom,'' Mr. Claypool said. "However, the coverage policy previously allowed beneficiaries to receive a power wheelchair also capable of outdoor use, so many individuals were active in their communities and could go to the store, shopping or to the bank. With the new policy, many beneficiaries will only be able to receive power wheelchairs and scooters that can be used in their homes, and in some cases, may confine them to specific rooms in their homes because they can not maneuver over door thresholds."

Laura Cohen, PhD, PT, ATP, a Co-Coordinator of the Clinician Task Force, said the new guidelines must be changed because they do not address the functional needs of Medicare beneficiaries, which should
be the foundation for the coverage policy. "Their approach is based on cost-cutting standards that require individuals to be completely non-ambulatory to receive an appropriate mobility device," Dr. Cohen
said. "These rules will undoubtedly force many beneficiaries into inappropriate and low-functioning mobility devices. And that is not in the best medical interest of these individuals or fiscally responsible to taxpayers."

Andrew Imparato, President and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities, said that many beneficiaries will receive wheelchairs that don't meet their medical needs. "Essentially, Medicare will be making beneficiaries prisoners in their own homes," he said, adding that lives may be endangered if people can not use their mobility equipment to flee an emergency in their home.

Article: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=51909

Fri, 15 Sep 2006 19:53:48 EDT
Polio Education Resolution is free! Thank you!!

I have just heard from Washington that the "Year of Polio Education"Resolution (H. Res. 526) is on its way to the House floor for a vote, likely onTuesday between 2PM and 3PM EDT (You can check on C-SPAN and watch the speech).
This would not have happened without your calls!
On behalf on America's 1.63 million polio survivors with Post-Polio Sequelae,and one million unvaccinated children, I thank you!
Dick

Dr. Richard L. Bruno, Chairperson
International Post-Polio Task Force Director
The Post-Polio Institute and International Centre for Post-Polio Education and Research
Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
Englewood, New Jersey U.S.A. 07631
Phone: (201) 894-3724 Toll Free: 1-877-POST-POLIO
Fax: (201) 541-6491
POSTPOLIOINFO@AOL.COM

CHRISTOPHER J. RUTTY, Ph.D.
hhrs@healthheritageresearch.com
*************************************************************************
Founder & President, HEALTH HERITAGE RESEARCH SERVICES
http://www.healthheritageresearch.com