The Internet provides an excellent ability to save on the cost of durable medical goods. The shrinking reimbursements as well as the elimination of a payment component for living or life aids, is putting the financial burden on the insured. Patients are surfing the internet, looking for lower priced goods, that offer assistance to daily life for handicapped people and various other people that need help with every day tasks.

This product category carries a range of products that include everything from Walking Aids to specially formed eating utensils.

Physicians and home healthcare stores were the sole source vendors, prior to the Internet. It is important to know what you are buying. Wheelchairs for instance, Medicare may pay $400-$500 for an Invacare Wheel Chair, when the same make and model can be found for under $300.00 by someone that is a private payer. Since there are laws regarding payment to the government that cover full disclosure by a vendor, and lowest prices charged, a store that takes Medicare, cannot sell the wheelchair or any other goods, lower than it charges the U.S. Government.

Since we know how poorly our Government negotiates prices, you now can assume, when you pay yourself, your going to have to pay those prices. Continue reading »