Medicare pays 4 times suppliers' wheelchair cost, report says

CNN reports:

Power-driven wheelchairs are costing Medicare and its beneficiaries nearly four times what suppliers pay for them, and competitive bidding could have reduced those costs, according to an inspector general's report released Wednesday.

A standard power wheelchair costs the federal health insurance program for seniors an average of $4,018 to lease, compared with $1,048 for suppliers to buy, the Department of Health and Human Services' internal watchdog reported.

You'd think the Obama administration would want to "reform" Medicare before they take on the rest of the health care system. But, that would mean less money for Obama friends and campaign contributors.