The $70 billion durable medical equipment market has been an attractive target for private equity investment because of the aging U.S. One way they do that is by limiting what they spend on technicians and repairs, which, when combined with insurance and regulatory obstacles, frustrates wheelchair users seeking timely fixes. Both are owned by private equity firms that seek to increase profits and cut spending. The multibillion-dollar power-wheelchair market is dominated by two national suppliers, Numotion and National Seating and Mobility.
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Subscribe to KHN's free Morning Briefing. He has no movement without his wheelchair.”īut, instead, Bolduc tracked down the manufacturer, ordered several buttons online for $20 each, and discovered that replacing the part herself was simple. “There’s a quality-of-life issue - he could be lying in bed staring at the ceiling. “If we did that, he would literally be in bed for months,” said Bolduc, who, along with her husband, is a member of the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition, an advocacy group. They considered going through his wheelchair supplier for the repairs.
Recently, the Broomfield, Colorado, residents had to replace a button that Goguen presses with his head to control his wheelchair. When components of the chair wear out or break down, the road to repair is littered with obstacles.
And without his chair, he would be stuck in bed, at risk of developing pneumonia or pressure sores that could lead to sepsis and death. Her husband, Bruce Goguen, 69, is paralyzed from multiple sclerosis.
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