My FIL’s in the market for a mobility scooter, and since they’re a four-figure purchase, I thought I’d pick the brains of my fellow Dopers to see if this was one of those items where the list price is just the starting point for negotiations, like with cars or mattresses, or is the list price pretty much chiseled in stone?
As our parents age - and hell, as we age (says the guy who’s being bombarded with Medicare Advantage pitches) - I figure some of my fellow Dopers might have some experience with this.
When Dad got his scooter, there was some wiggle room but that may have been because the home health care store in question was owned by a friend of his. He ended up getting about 10% off but that could be the “friends and family” discount not available to the general public.
My understanding of the economics of those things is that they’re purchased mainly by insurance companies, Medicare or Medicaid so few of the people who buy them are paying for them. That makes the demand for them relatively inelastic and you can’t negotiate much.
My wheel-chair using acquaintance has recently replaced his wheel chair with a Segway-type wheel chair. It’s a lot more manoeuvrable than a scooter or any wheelchair I’ve ever seen, and yet, like a mobility scooter, is battery powered.
I only mention it because it’s the first I’ve seen, and wouldn’t have accoutred to me if I was thinking of mobility aids.
My family have had quite a time organising something to help with my mothers mobility issues. She felt quite isolated in her apartment in a care home because walking was painful. So what to buy?
We fell for the sales patter and bought an electric wheelchair. It was impressively manoeuvrable, able to turn tight turns using the control stick. We all had great fun trying it out. However…Mommy dearest had lots of problems with it. She was never very good at co-ordination and never very strong in the spatial awareness department. Cars tended to die a death by a thousand bumps. The wheelchair was too much for her and she managed to get stuck, wedged against a wall and in a panic and hurt herself. Fail. :smack:
However, she was determined to get some measure of independence and she insisted on a visit by the same company that sold the wheelchair to demonstrate a mobility scooter. Given that the same company were very inflexible about the taking the wheelchair back in part exchange, there was a lot of debate about the wisdom of this. The scooter she liked seemed very over priced. These things come in all sizes, some are huge and expensive. Her needs were very modest, for indoor use getting around her care home.
So, a bit of Internet research ensued. We discovered a healthy second hand market in mobility scooters and got a bargain for about $400. Not as manoeuvrable as a wheelchair, but much easier to get on off when you have arthritis. She trundles along happily and now meets up for bingo with her friends on their scooters. Success!
I guess it is down to individual needs and circumstances.
If that’s true, isn’t it likely that the list price is a fiction, like all medical pricing, and the actual prices paid by insurance companies are lower contracted prices?
They would be covered under Medicare part B as durable medical equipment. The user would end up paying 20% of the Medicare approved amount. How much is that? Who knows? As you implied, the hardest thing to find out in the United States is how much will that medical procedure cost. Hell, the people charging for the procedure don’t know, the people getting the procedure don’t know, it’s only the people paying for it that have any idea, and they’re not telling.
At one point Medicare accounted for 75% of The Scooter Store’s revenue. Medicare has clamped down on some of this, but they still buy a lot of those damn scooters.
FWIW-- random, *possibly *helpful thoughts:
[ul]
[li]My good friend needed a motorized wheelchair. He went to a wheelchair place and the owner said Medicare would pay for it, but it was relatively cheap at $1,300, so my friend bought it outright. He had the use of it for about three years and passed away nine months ago. His daughter asked the hospice to give it to someone who needed it. [/li][li]Do look into the second hand market. [/li][li]My late husband used a wheelchair paid for (and owned by) Medicare and the day after the funeral, while I was still sitting shiva, I got a phone call that Medicare wanted the chair back. All-right-y. I said I would leave it out in the driveway and they could come and pick it up. Seemed to me they were rushing things a bit. :rolleyes:[/li][li]I have found that the people at my local Social Security office know EVERYTHING and they are extremely helpful. Don’t skip talking to them.[/li][/ul]
Thanks for the advice, y’all! My fellow Dopers always come through.
I’ll be sure to recommend looking at the second-hand market. Where’s the best place to look? Places like eBay and Craigslist? Or are there actual second-hand dealers?
And I’ll also tell my FIL to talk with the folks at the local Social Security office. One of the reasons he wants to just buy one outright is that the Medicare form he’d have to fill out is 12 pages long, with no guarantee of approval even then. Maybe they can help him with the form, and give him a decent idea of whether approval is likely. If it was a slam-dunk that he’d get approved if he filled out the form, either he’d probably do it, or my wife and I would fill it out and send it back to him to sign.
And I’ll certainly pass on the answer to my original question - that there’s somewhere between limited and zero flexibility on pricing.
Again, you guys are great. Thanks!
ETA: Just talked with my wife, who’s getting ready to leave my FIL’s and catch a flight home. Passed all this on to her, and she’ll relay it to him. Thanks again!
I know where my brother lives there is a church that collects used durable medical equipment (like this, or hospital beds, wheelchairs, walkers, etc.) so others who need it can get it for free. I’m pretty sure they don’t limit this to church members. (Quite a lot of these things are still useful even after the person for whom they are prescribed no longer needs them.) I recommend asking around in the area.
If you are price sensitive definitely look second hand. These are durable devices sold to ailing old people. My dad used his a handful of times and after he passed my mom found she couldn’t get much of anything for it second hand because the market was awash in them.
I’d try eBay, Facebook groups and churches or charities where they may be donated. You’ll need a truck and a couple of strong folks or a ramp to get it up and in.
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I’ll bet that the people at the Scooter Store, or where ever he was looking to buy a scooter, would be happy to help with the paperwork. And they’ve probably done so previously, so they can probably do it more quickly.
If one is looking for a used “mobility scooter” they should look on Craig’s list or any local classified ads site. Look under medical equipment & under motorcycles. I find it amazing how many are offered in the Motorcycle listings. There are two of them listed on Craig’s list Motorcycle listings locally right now.
Not really. It’s tradition to stick Medicare with the full price. Why search for discounts when the taxpayer foots the bill? But he’s correct, Medicare, or the Veteran’s Administration, that sort purchase is generally the rule.
When I bought my mom’s scooter they took $400 off with a little haggling. She used it two years. I put it on Ebay and got $900 for it which was about half of what I paid for it. I charged $70 shipping which was too low (Shipping came in at $160.
