[Updated May 22] The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) reported May 22 that H.R. 1703 passed the U.S. House’s Energy and Commerce committee with a unanimous 45-0 vote on May 21.
The House bill that would provide a clearer path for Medicare beneficiaries to upgrade to titanium or carbon fiber frames for their ultralightweight wheelchairs is moving to the full Energy & Commerce committee after a May 13 markup of public health reauthorization bills.
H.R. 1703, the Choices for Increased Mobility Act of 2025, was reported to the full committee by a voice vote of the health subcommittee, Chairman Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) said in a May 13 announcement.
Rep. John Joyce, M.D., (R-Pa.) and Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) introduced the bill in February 2025. It would allow Medicare beneficiaries to pay just the price of the carbon fiber or titanium frame upgrade. Currently, Medicare policy requires a beneficiary to pay for the entire wheelchair — upgraded frame and all — up front.
Many beneficiaries cannot afford that much higher cash outlay.
During a Jan. 8 Energy & Commerce health subcommittee meeting, Joyce described the bill as “common-sense legislation” that would “would give greater access to Medicare beneficiaries to titanium and to carbon fiber wheelchairs.”
Tom Ryan, president/CEO of the American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare), appeared before that subcommittee meeting in January and, under questioning from Joyce, pointed out that Medicare previously gave beneficiaries a lower-cost way to upgrade their ultralightweight frames, but no longer does.
In the markup session on May 13, Joyce said, “In 2016, the Durable Medical Equipment Medicare Administration Contractors [DME MACs] issued a policy that severely limited access to titanium and carbon fiber wheelchairs by preventing the billing of the existing code and allowing the beneficiary to cover the difference of the upgrades. As a result, the only way to obtain a titanium or carbon fiber wheelchair is to pay the entire cost out of pocket by the patient wishing to choose that chair.
“This is cost prohibitive for the many beneficiaries and has detrimental effects on access to titanium and carbon fiber wheelchairs. This not only affects the patient — it affects their families who help them, who lift those wheelchairs; it affects their caregivers who push and utilize these heavier wheelchairs. This subcommittee should be encouraging Medicare patients to take full advantage of their healthcare benefits, and more importantly, giving them a say in the choice that will directly impact their quality of life.”
A companion bill — S. 247, also known as the Choices for Increased Mobility Act — was introduced to the Senate by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) in January 2025.
