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Comment by JumpCrisscross | Hacker News Reader

What's the barrier to entry?

Power wheelchairs are regulated (FDA) as medical devices.

I can buy an electric wheelchair at Walmart for $750. What is the issue?

As the sibling comments noted, we're talking about bespoke wheelchairs for people with severe mobility disability (MS, ALS, etc). Things like Stephen Hawking's chair.

Oooh, I missed this distinction.

Still, they shouldn't cost more than a high end Ebike.

I don’t know what the median/average price is for these, only the range.

Bit, a high end e-bike is $12-$15k. Which also seems ridiculous to me. And I’m a cyclist with several nice bikes (none of which were more than $7k).

And I’m a cyclist with several nice bikes (nine of which were more than $7k).

"Nine", or did you mean "none"? I'm just checking if it was a typo, or if I should be jealous. :-)

None. Only 4 in the basement that belong to me right now. 4 more as the wife’s.

Anything custom will cost more than a similar complexity mass-produced item.

Some of these wheelchairs are 75k. They're custom made to your body size for maximum comfort and the features are customized to your disability.

These aren't off the shelf mobility products. Each one is assembled to specification.

That's a powered scooter, not an electric wheelchair. They may look the same to a layperson, but they're not - one is highly regulated and has a lot of people making a lot of money off them, the other is a scooter.

You can also buy pharmaceuticals at Walmart. What is your argument?

Regulation.

This is one of the market failures caused by excessive regulation.

To make a chair you requires so much paperwork that only a small number of business can do it.

I especially like the regulations that make sure only those who need the chair get it, to reduce medical costs, but in the process all the paperwork dramatically drives up the costs.

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