Suppliers across the country say they will no longer provide power wheelchairs to most Medicare recipients after Nov. 15, when cuts in Medicare reimbursements go into effect.

Suppliers across the country say they will no longer provide power wheelchairs to most Medicare recipients after Nov. 15, when cuts in Medicare reimbursements go into effect.

One supplier, WestMed Rehab, plans an announcement today.

The Medicare changes are intended to eliminate widespread fraud identified by the Health and Human Services Department, which oversees the program.

With other suppliers saying they, too, won't be able to provide mobility equipment to many of their customers, those living with multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries and other conditions could be without the wheelchairs they need to get around.

Many wheelchair users "are going to have to pay out of pocket," said Tim Pederson, CEO of WestMed Rehab.

Review of the program began after the Houston Chronicle reported in 2003 on abuses involving Medicare reimbursements for power wheelchairs.

According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which administers both health care programs, expenditures for power wheelchairs increased by 2,705 percent between 1995 and 2003 — from $43 million to $1.2 billion in just over just eight years.