I take it you haven't had much contact with "private" firms that sell stuff to Medicare/Medicaid patients and get paid directly by the government?
The fraud and corruption that many of these firms get away with is breathtaking.
We had a run in with this mess when my Uncle's over ruled my Dad and put my Grandmother in a nursing home. These private firms would bilk my Grandma AND the government for 10 times the normal costs for clothes and sundry items and such. They had a real scam going. When my Dad found out about it there commenced a severe shit storm that is legendary around these parts!
Who wrote the legislation that allowed these “give-away” programs to happen in the first place? I doubt it was the people at the Scooter Store or the companies you referenced. And no, I’ve never dealt with Medicare or Medicaid. My mother has TriCare, I utilize the Veterans Affairs system and my wife has private insurance through her company.
I have a sister living in a memory care unit. Mom and I take her clothes, underpads in etc. We mark every piece of clothing too. If she needs to go to the hospital due to a fall they call me first. Otherwise that's $1200 round trip ambulance form the county ambulance service. The hospital is five blocks away BTW.
Wally World is a lot cheaper on stuff than nursing homes or assisted living providing supplies in house so we go that route. Still the monthly bill is almost $5K. Medicare nor Medicaid covers assisted living but they cover a nursing home and we're trying to stall that as long as we can. They do cover the meds and physical therapy though.