Initiatives from MassHealth, the state’s Medicaid administrator, include a $1,000 bonus for wheelchair providers who complete repairs for MassHealth members within 12 days. Eighty percent of that money must be reinvested in repair operations, including maintaining inventory, staffing and offering expanded hours. Providers will be required to share quarterly data with the state on repairs and how the money is used. That data will be made available to the public, state health officials said.

The reforms collectively add about $4 million per year to MassHealth costs.

Monday’s hearings drew about two dozen advocates, wheelchair users and at least one representative of the wheelchair industry. The response from advocates and wheelchair users has been tentatively optimistic. They welcomed state action to address a long-standing national problem, but worried that the lack of sanctions would not provide enough incentive for the industry to improve its operations.

Rick Glassman, advocacy director at the Disability Law Center, an advocacy organization that has made wheelchair repair issues one of its top priorities, said there is nothing stopping the wheelchair industry from seeking payment incentive only for simple repairs, leaving people with more complicated problems. remaining in the dark. .

“We could get $1,000 payments for simple, convenient repairs while other users are stuck at home,” he said at the hearing, “where those people still get the same level of poor customer service they have already experienced.”

He described MassHealth’s new regulations as “carrots that must be balanced with enforcement or sticks.”

State health officials have noted that MassHealth is not a regulatory agency and that financial incentives, not penalties, are its most powerful tool for encouraging change in the industry. The incentive payments are designed to ensure the wheelchair industry commits the money and resources needed to meet the demand for repairs, said Leslie Darcy, chief of long-term services and supports for the State Executive Office. for health and social services.

“To truly show improvement and improve the member experience will require investment, both in dollars and time,” she said.

The regulations also allow coverage for some routine maintenance, which users must now pay for out of pocket, which could help identify worn parts before they fail. Additionally, MassHealth will make it easier for wheelchair users to rely on the state’s paratransit service for assistance getting to and from repair facilities.

The regulations were initiated before public hearings because of the urgency of the issue, state officials said, but they could be revised based on feedback. Speakers at Monday’s hearings noted that 12 days was still a long wait for repairs. State officials described the timeline as a starting point, with the goal of shortening that wait over time.

Legislation proposed this year would have required a two-year warranty for all new wheelchairs sold and would have allowed wheelchair users to file lawsuits against the wheelchair industry through the attorney general’s office for work too long. The durable medical equipment industry group, National Coalition for Assistive and Rehab Technology, spent nearly $100,000 on lobbying in 2022 and 2023 on “issues relevant to the wheelchair industry,” according to state records . The bill passed the state Senate but failed to move out of the House.

State health officials said they will carefully review quarterly wheelchair industry data to determine the effectiveness of the incentive payments and communicate with lawmakers about the findings.

“If this doesn’t shake things up the way we hope, we’ll be back at the table,” Darcy said.

The wheelchair market is dominated nationally by two private equity firms, National Seating & Mobility and Numotion. The industry was valued at $63 billion in 2023. About 64% of all wheelchairs break down in a six-month period, according to a 2023 report. National Seating & Mobility declined to comment and Numotion did not did not respond to a request for comment.

Jason Laughlin can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him @jasmlaughlin.