Things that make me go ‘huh?!’

Apparently, Medicare will cover the cost of your wheelchair or power scooter if you need it to get from, say, your sofa to your bathroom.

But if you need one to get from your house to your doctor, or to get your groceries, or to, I dunno, leave the house? Or even if you DO need a wheelchair to get from kitchen to bedroom, but can’t use one due to the confines of your living space?

Fuhghettaboutit.

I don’t get this at all.

We know for a fact that keeping active is one of the best things we can do for just about any malady. Getting out to the supermarket, going to play bridge, taking yourself to the park, keeping it moving and grooving, encourages both physical and mental health.

Saying that unless you are unable to get to the potty without one you can’t have a scooter or a wheelchair?

Lame. Lame, lame, lame.

As a taxpayer who keeps one hand on her wallet and shrieks, “Don’t you DARE tax me for that!!” quite frequently, I herewith declare: Tax me for that. Use my money for this. Get those people what they need to get out into the sun again.

This is not just about feeling bad for the poor shut-ins of our society. It makes fiscal sense, too. Encouraging people with disabilities to be as self-sufficient as possible is only good business. A person who is getting out and keeping mobile is going to stay healthier longer than a person who is sitting on their sofa waiting for the hospice worker to bring their Twinkies.

I’m going to go ahead and pen a little note to my senators asking them to support S. 3677. Here’s the (remarkably brief) text of the bill; and here are Senator Bingman’s comments on the bill (lengthier than the actual text of the bill, there’s a surprise – a politician talka-talk-talking).

If the spirit moves, I’d encourage you to do the same.