Save the iBOT

Credit goes to Shannon, who wrote most of the following.

The iBOT is the only wheelchair I am willing to use. Unfortunatelly, production of the iBOT stopped a little over a year ago. There were only about 1,000 iBOTs sold and because of poor sales, they had to stop making them. Originally when the iBOT went on the market, Johnson and Johnson (J&J sold the iBOT) thought that insurance companies would pay for the iBOT like they do for other wheelchairs. Medicare decided that the iBOT was a "luxury", therefore refusing to pay for it. Most insurance companies follow Medicare guidelines. Many wheelchair users wanted an iBOT, but not many could come up with the $25,000 to buy it.

I want other wheelchair users to have the ability to get an iBOT if they want one. Buying a used iBOT isn't an option anymore because J&J won't provide service to anyone who purchased an iBOT after they stopped production last year. I am in that situation, and unless the iBOT goes back into production, there will be only a small group of us who have iBOTs. Also, J&J is providing service to current iBOT users until the year 2013 only. After that, they're on their own.

A group of us are trying to get the iBOT back into production. Will you please join the Facebook group called "Save the iBOT"? You won't be asked to give any money or anything like that. We just want as many supporters as we can get. The higher the number of people in the group, the better.

Save the iBOT

Thanks for your time and consideration!