As Abigail Wold sweeps her kitchen, she moves one prosthetic foot in front of the other.
Abigail lost both her legs to meningococcal meningitis 12 years ago. She wears lower-limb prosthetics to get around, but sometimes uses a wheelchair if the terrain is too rocky or if she’s in pain.
Proposed changes to Medicare, though, may make her choose.
Medicare is considering changing the way it evaluates and covers people with lower limb prostheses. The 40-page proposal lists numerous changes, including only offering coverage for one sort of assistive device.
For Abigail, that would mean choosing between getting coverage for a wheelchair or for her prosthetic legs.
“I would have to pay for one out of pocket and I don’t know how I could,” Wold said. “I would have to find a job or something. I don’t know what I would do.”
The changes could impact lower-limb amputees across the board. Dr. Greg Bauer is the President of Westcoast Brace and Limb in Tampa. Another proposed change would require patients to see an additional doctor before getting their prosthesis.
“Not only is it going to affect the way we see patients, but the time it takes to see patients,” Bauer said. “To provide them with that need is going to be delayed months.”
Steve Truels is a Westcoast Brace and Limb patient. It took Steve years to find the right prosthesis after losing his leg in 2010. He says he finally found the right fit and is able to be active. He goes to the gym, participates in 5k races and bikes.
Under the proposed changes, there’s a possibility Steve would have to pay thousands if he needed to replace his current leg. Some of the technology he uses in his current prosthesis would not be covered under the proposed changes.
“I’ve got this right now and I know what I can do with this,” he said. “I really don’t want to go backwards.”
So far, if the proposed changes were adapted, they would only take hold in a number of states, not including Florida. However, Steve and Abigail say that if that happens, other states would take on the changes and private insurance companies would follow Medicare's lead. The proposed changes have the ability to affect millions of people.
People across the nation have signed a White House petition, calling on the government to stop the proposed changes. The petition has more than 100,000 signatures, warranting a response from the Administration.