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capri0mniThis is a "chat" I posted to my Tumblr, today. And I'm posting it now, in response to This story segment from dialecticdreamer, and the ensuing discussion.
Disabled Person: I need a wheelchair.
Wheelchair Manufacturer: We won't sell you one unless Medicare will pay for it*
Disabled Person: I need a wheelchair.
Medicare: Can you walk 20 feet?
Disabled Person: It's 40 feet from my front door to my bedroom...
Medicare: Can you walk 20 feet?
Disabled Person: I can, but it's excruciatingly painful, my balance is terrible, and I risk falling at every step.
Medicare: Then No.
Disabled Person: Why not?
Medicare: We're running out of money. The Baby Boomers are getting old and sick. And the Gen X'ers and Millennials are not reproducing. Very sorry. Have a nice day.
800K Gen-X & Millennial "Dreamers": Hey! we're paying into Social Security!
Medicare: You don't count.
110K Refugee Applicants: We want to come into your country, and contribute to your economy, including helping to pay for Social Security. Please let us in?
Federal Government: No!
Disabled Person: I still need a wheelchair.
Medicare: Very sorry. Absolutely nothing we can do.
Disabled Person: ...
"Dreamers": ...
Refugees: ...
Medicare: Buh-bye! Don't let the door hit you on the way out.
*Footnote: Even if you are wealthy enough to purchase a wheelchair out-of-pocket, many suppliers still require proof of insurance. And even private insurers copy Medicare's policies when it comes medical equipment and mobility aids.
dialecticdreamer, and the ensuing discussion.Disabled Person: I need a wheelchair.
Wheelchair Manufacturer: We won't sell you one unless Medicare will pay for it*
Disabled Person: I need a wheelchair.
Medicare: Can you walk 20 feet?
Disabled Person: It's 40 feet from my front door to my bedroom...
Medicare: Can you walk 20 feet?
Disabled Person: I can, but it's excruciatingly painful, my balance is terrible, and I risk falling at every step.
Medicare: Then No.
Disabled Person: Why not?
Medicare: We're running out of money. The Baby Boomers are getting old and sick. And the Gen X'ers and Millennials are not reproducing. Very sorry. Have a nice day.
800K Gen-X & Millennial "Dreamers": Hey! we're paying into Social Security!
Medicare: You don't count.
110K Refugee Applicants: We want to come into your country, and contribute to your economy, including helping to pay for Social Security. Please let us in?
Federal Government: No!
Disabled Person: I still need a wheelchair.
Medicare: Very sorry. Absolutely nothing we can do.
Disabled Person: ...
"Dreamers": ...
Refugees: ...
Medicare: Buh-bye! Don't let the door hit you on the way out.
*Footnote: Even if you are wealthy enough to purchase a wheelchair out-of-pocket, many suppliers still require proof of insurance. And even private insurers copy Medicare's policies when it comes medical equipment and mobility aids.
no subject
Date: 2017-09-15 07:04 pm (UTC)A couple of years ago, I got a prescription for a home-visiting physiotherapist.
He's the one who told me about the 20-foot minimum rule, and that it didn't matter if walking was safe for the person.
...And then, he proceeded to justify the policy anyway, because Medicare is supposedly running out of money, and they have to have strict regulations to guard against "disability fraud."
...
Do. Not. Talk. to Me. Of "Disability Fraud."
no subject
Date: 2017-09-16 02:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-09-16 10:43 am (UTC)Over the last 4 years, I've three separate medical personnel at least mention "The fraud problem" to me, if not go on to actively try to convince me of its reality.
I wrote about it on my Tumblr, last year: Disability Fraud: You know what?
no subject
Date: 2017-09-16 07:02 pm (UTC)Also: Mind if I link to it?
no subject
Date: 2017-09-16 07:08 pm (UTC)Please do, in fact!
no subject
Date: 2017-09-16 07:17 pm (UTC)