Medicare puzzle: Big rise in artificial feet costs
Photo credit: AP | (L to R) Microprocessor controlled ankle/foot prosthetic, shock foot vertical loading pylon prosthetic, and the flexible keel foot prosthetic, are seen at Orthotic Prosthetic Center in Fairfax, VA. (Feb. 8, 2012)
What's wrong with this picture? Medicare's bill for artificial feet rose nearly 60 percent in recent years, although foot and leg amputations due to diabetes continued a dramatic decline.
Medicare paid $94 million for artificial feet in 2010, according to research conducted for The Associated Press. That was nearly $35 million more than in 2005, even though in 2010, Medicare covered about...
