- For anyone using a wheelchair, the process to get it repaired is filled with red tape.
- Iowa State Representative Josh Turek of Council Bluffs introduced a bill with a provision to reduce the wait times when it comes to fixing a mobility device.
- The bill was passed out of the House Health and Human Services committee on Wednesday with a unanimous, bipartisan vote.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Imagine using a wheelchair and having to wait for a doctor's prescription to repair it.
I'm your Southwest Iowa neighborhood reporter, Katrina Markel.
One provision in a bill sponsored by Council Bluffs state Representative Josh Turek aims to fix the problem.
"Right to repair,” a phrase familiar to farmers, also applies to the disability community.
Right now, Iowans using a mobility device have to wait to get an in-person doctor's appointment and prescription, as well as insurance authorization, before they can get their wheelchair repaired. The process can take weeks, if not months, causing additional medical problems.
Rep. Josh Turek (D-Council Bluffs): "Ultimately, just ending up causing unnecessary pain and suffering to already a vulnerable portion of the population. Again, this is just redundant, unnecessary bureaucracy ... probably the most egregious form is that you’re requiring an individual with a disability that is using a wheelchair for their means of transportation to actually physically go to the doctor..."
Turek's bill also contains a provision for reforming Medicaid for permanently disabled individuals, which I'll be looking into as well.
I'm your southwest Iowa neighborhood reporter, Katrina Markel.
