Some have sensors in the feet that clock how fast a user is moving, how much they weigh and whether the foot is on an incline so it can adjust accordingly. Other products such as the C-Leg and a bionic knee called the Rheo are so advanced that some amputees use them to run marathons.
Other products are now available for obese patients. Typically, patients over 250 pounds have had a hard time getting a prosthetic, but some newer models can accommodate patients weighing as much as 350 pounds.
Prices of artificial limbs cost $2,500 to $50,000 depending on how advanced they are. Insurers pay for most products, although some have started to balk as reimbursement claims have risen.
In response, three states, including California, passed laws in the last two years requiring insurers to boost coverage. In total, six states now have such laws and several others are considering similar measures.
"We joke that whenever they have a pill to cure diabetes we are all going to be out of business," said Eric Robinson, president of Fraser, Mich.-based College Park Industries, which recently introduced an advanced foot called the TruStep.
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daniel.costello@latimes.com
