You can have a free pair of therapeutic women’s and men’s shoes free of charge, if you qualify.
For good health, diabetic women’s and men’s shoes must fit perfectly. Any reputable doctor will warn a diabetic patient about the importance of checking their feet regularly. Ill fitting shoes for healthy people, present no problem. If shoes cause them pain, they will just get rid of them. Diabetics, on the other hand, can suffer from nerve damage. Extensive nerve damage often causes numbness. If the nerve damage is in the feet, the patient cannot feel the pain caused by shoes that don’t fit. It could be several weeks or longer, before they notice something of concern. By that time, irreversible damage could have taken place.
Improperly fitting shoes are responsible for the rising cost of diabetic care. Several years ago, a Medicare Shoe Act was written. This act was to help reduce the cost of health issues directly caused by poor fitting women’s and men’s shoes. The premise behind the Medicare Shoe Act, was that if properly fitted shoes could prevent costly health issues, then why not pay for shoes. The cost of therapeutic shoes would be a drop in the bucket, compared to the cost of amputations, IV antibiotics or extensive hospital visits.
Therapeutic women’s and men’s shoes are free if you are on Medicare and have diabetes. To qualify, your health care provider must examine you and verify that you have either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. The next step is to have a foot examination. He will verify the fact that you have diabetes and any other problems he found in the foot examine. After noting concerns he will write a prescription for your free shoes. The health care professional will then give you a list of approved providers that can fill the order for your shoes.
There are several types of women’s and men’s shoes to choose from. The provider will measure your feet and help you pick out the ones you want from samples in the store. You will be able to choose from tennis shoes or casual. All of these shoes will be made according to Medicare guidelines. Do not expect to walk out of the store with the shoes under your arm. An order for the type of shoes you decide on will be sent to the manufacturer. Usually your shoes will arrive about two weeks later.
The price is right for these women’s and men’s shoes. However, in addition to the price, you can enjoy knowing that these free shoes may very well prevent you from suffering an amputated limb or extensive hospital stay.