Electric Wheelchairs are great for those with mobility problems.
Whether your electric wheelchair purchase this year is your latest electric wheelchair or your very first one there are new ways of going about the entire process to make sure that you get the best deal on your purchase.
The internet has revolutionized the sale and purchase of electric wheelchairs as it has with most other consumer items.
To find the best deal on an electric wheelchair now you should first go to an internet retailer like Amazon.com or one of the many specialty sites that sell electric wheelchair and other assistive devices.
At sites like Amazon.com you will find not only lists of the most popular electric wheelchairs on sale with the best pricing available on them form a number of different retailers, you will also see the reviews and the ratings that actual users of the wheelchair have given each model.
If you want to save some money or if you cannot afford the sticker price on a particular model of electric wheelchair that you want you can even go for a second hand version of the power wheelchair in question as Amazon.com now lists second hand items for sale on the same product listing page.
Even if you are not interested in used items, these listing will give you a good indication of how the model that you are considering holds its value and how much you can expect to get for it when time comes to sell the wheelchair in question.
The internet is a great place to look for electric wheelchair accessories as well and whether it is Invacare accessories you are looking for, or Pride parts, sites like Amazon.com and eBay.com will let you find the parts that you need at prices that are unmatched by local retailers and are fraction of what the same parts cost on the original manufacturers site.
How Much Can You Save By Buying A Used Electric Wheelchair?
The savings can add up to a few thousands of dollars over the life of an average electric wheelchair, and many times you can find a used electric wheelchair at these sites for around five hundred dollars, which is several thousand dollars less than what a comparable new one will cost.
Does Medicare or Insurance Cover the Cost?
It can be very difficult to get your insurance and especially Medicare to pick up the tab for the cost of your chair. You wouldn’t think so by all of the ads you see on TV telling you how easy it is, but the truth of the matter is that less than 5% of the people with a disability who apply to Medicare for an electric wheelchair get even part of the cost covered by them.
Most people eventually discover that it is simply easier to buy a used electric wheelchair online with their own money rather than waiting for months to be told by their insurance company that they will not cover the cost. This is not to say that you should not attempt the process of getting reimbursement for this kind of medical device, just don’t get your hopes up too high.
Don’t Forget the Wheelchair Ramp
One of the things you need to think about before you decide to purchase one of these mobility devices is how much some of the accessories and replacement parts like batteries are going to cost.
If you plan on using the chair in and around your home you more than likely will need a least a couple of wheelchair ramps installed in order to navigate up and down those short stairways and other areas in your home that have a rise that is bigger than what the chair can handle.
What about Transporting these Chairs?
Keep in mind that if you want to take your power wheelchair with you when you go shopping or on a trip, you will need a vehicle that is big enough to carry it too.
Many people have some sort of lift and rack device installed on the back of their vehicle in order to be able to take the chair with them. Most power wheelchairs are quite heavy, heavier than what one person can lift, so keep that in mind if you are having thoughts of being able to easily transport one of these disability products.
Would an Electric Scooter Be A Better Choice?
If you still have decent mobility, but have trouble walking long distances, then a lightweight power scooter that folds up is probably a better option for you if you’d like to more easily take something with you to help you get around better on shopping or other trips outside the home.
Many of these electric scooters are small enough to use inside the home too, and you can often find them for a better price than even a used electric wheelchair.
