The iBOT wheelchair's larger issues

The media has been waxing eloquent about the iBOT wheelchair that can climb stairs and allow a user to rise to a standing position. Its $29,000 cost is usually reported way down below the initial rah-rah opening paragraphs about how the thing works.

The cost paragraph also never mentions the fact that most insurance policies will not be covering it. Especially not those that cover the predominately unemployed disability community -- Medicare and Medicaid. The shrinking coverage for durable medical equipment and the requirement that chair users pay an ever-higher portion of the cost is never included in the articles, either.

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