Family considers suit after man dies in broken wheelchair

Medicare would not repair or replace the chair...contract issue? Van service also stopped as they had not been paid by Medicare...BD

A disabled Queens dad died from head trauma he suffered in a fall from a damaged wheelchair he battled Medicare for months to fix or replace, his grieving family said.
The wife of Jan Plattner, 52, is now considering legal action, saying Medicare stopped paying for services that could have prevented her husband's death last month. Medicare would not cover a replacement wheelchair, said Duncan, in spite of numerous calls she and her husband made. In August, Plattner, of 141st St. in Jamaica, took a spill on the floor of a nearby donut shop when a wheel and leg piece on his motorized chair came apart, his family said.
A Queens company called to service the chair in July refused to repair it because Medicare would not cover the work, a company manager said."He said, 'I didn't know I joined an HMO.' But someone probably told him to sign something," the manager said.
Making matters worse, a van service stopped pickups for Plattner's doctor's appointments because they had not been paid by Medicare throughout July and August, his wife said.