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Committee advances bill to require insurance coverage for power wheelchair standing systems
Summary
Senate File 974, which would require coverage of power standing systems as a component of complex rehab power wheelchairs when medically necessary, was recommended to pass after extensive testimony from clinicians, suppliers and patients.
The Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee recommended passage of Senate File 974 on March 6, instructing that it be referred to the Health and Human Services Committee. The bill, introduced by Senator Mann, would require coverage of power standing systems — a motorized component of complex rehabilitation power wheelchairs that allows users to transition from sitting to standing — when prescribed by a licensed clinician and deemed medically necessary.
“Standing technology empowers people to be more engaged in daily life,” testified Britta Schwarzhoff, a licensed physical therapist and assistive-technology specialist. Clinicians, suppliers and patient advocates described clinical and quality-of-life benefits, including reduced risk of pressure injuries, improved digestion and respiratory function, increased independence and social participation. Julie Periano of the National Coalition of Assistive and Rehabilitative Technology (NCART) told the committee that the average manufacturer suggested retail price for the power standing component is roughly $11,000, but she and others said that over a device’s useful life the technology can reduce downstream costs such as prolonged hospitalizations and wound care.
Multiple patient and clinician testimonies described cases in which standing systems shortened or avoided hospital care, improved activities of daily living and restored social participation. Nicole LaBerge, a licensed physical therapist, described a person whose stage-4 pressure injury healed after use of a power standing wheelchair; another witness described improvements in bowel function and in social participation for a child who could stand for school activities.
Committee members asked about Medicaid reimbursement and pricing mechanisms. The chair said fiscal impacts would be evaluated in HHS; Senator Frentz noted that the bill already includes a defrayal mechanism. The committee adopted the author’s A1 amendment and voted to recommend the bill to HHS.
The motion — that Senate File 974 as amended be recommended to pass and referred to the Committee on Health and Human Services — was made by Senator Frentz and adopted by voice vote.
