NYSAAOP and Ossur- April 7th-Licensure Meeting
Tony Barr
Description
Collection
Title:
NYSAAOP and Ossur- April 7th-Licensure Meeting
Creator:
Tony Barr
Date:
4/4/2006
Text:
Support O&P Regulation In New York and other unregulated states before
supporting prosthetic parity .
The New York legislation is studying a bill requiring mandatory health
care benefits for prosthetic devices i.e prosthetic parity legislation .
Are you aware of the fact that in supporting this prosthetic parity
legislation you are forcing insurers to increase prostheic benefits for
amputees whom are subject to a unregulated industry , and untrained and
unaccountable provider ?
Although ACA's efforts to support this parity legislation , may appear to
ensure improved prosthetic health coverage benefits for prosthetic devices,
it will at a minimum be equal to the coverage that is provided for under
federal laws.
It is important that New York legislators oppose this legislation until
such time that the profession of O&P has been regulated.
The Barr Foundation <outbind://19/www.oandp.com/barr> www.oandp.com/barr
has been the lead for patient/consumer advocacy efforts in alliance with the
state O&P professional associations for successfully obtaining state
regulation in most of the 10 states that are currently regulated , since
1995.
Forty (40) states remain unregulated !! New York is one of them !
The consensus seems increasingly to focus on acceptance of the oft-repeated
homily: Think about it: the person who cuts your hair is licensed, but the
person who makes a prosthesis or straightens your daughter's spine does not
have to be licensed.
The delivery of O&P is the only health care 'profession' I know of that is
not licensed in all 50 states.
The lack of licensure protection, besides exposing the patient to
untrained, unqualified services of this specialized health care science and
harming the patient, it also impacts the pocketbook of every taxpayer by
rampant fraud and abuse.
Over 1.8 million Americans are living with limb loss or limb deficiency as a
result of disease, trauma or birth defect.
In return for premiums paid for group health insurance, consumers expect to
be covered for catastrophic illness or injury. Sadly, without legislation to
regulate the profession we can not ensure better coverage, many people
living with the loss or absence of a limb are facing discouraging obstacles
when trying to obtain prosthetic care.
When an individual discovers that prosthetic care is not covered, they may
have to resort to using retirement or children's college savings to purchase
a prosthesis in order to remain working. This has a devastating effect on
amputees and their families.
The financial and social benefits provide a strong case for coverage
,however ,each state that does not currently regulate the O&P profession
needs to address important issues as better ensuring qualified, compotent
and accountable O&P care.
Will passing prosthetic parity legislation, in unregulated states, help
reduce the tremendous amount of fraud and abuse that occurs in the O&P field
or increase it ?
Will forcing insurers to increase prosthetic benefits open the fraud and
abuse door even wider to untrained, unlicensed providers who remain
unaccountable by a optional certification creditialed profession ?
I urge you, to urge your govt. leaders to support regulating this
important health care profession to better obtain qualified services and
better prosthetic coverage.
With the national problems with health care --- lack of insurance, increase
in premiums and high deductibles and of course, the restrictions on
coverage --- it is more important than ever that people get active to push
for access to quality care.
You cannot force mandatory O& P coverage on insurers when the providers, in
New York and the 3 9 other states , are not required to be properly
trained nor have a license to practice.
Right now, there is an effort among O&P manufactures all over the country
to pass prosthetic parity legislation.
A prosthetic parity bill , while appearing to be better ensuring
better health coverage benefits for prosthetic devices , is not a
competent solution to the tremendous fraud and abuse that is occurring in
the O&P health care field, particularly in New York and the other 39
unregulated states.
Parity legislation passed in any state where the providers are not required
to have a license, will just stimulate more abuse and fraud from
unqualified practitioners who cannot be held accountable in a unregulated
profession.
When the sponsors of the Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and
Affordability Act of 2005 (S. 1955) introduced the bill last November, they
claimed that it would expand health care access. The sponsors have continued
to make these claims at the bill has moved into the Senate Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee.
They fail to mention that New York and 39 other states do not require a
prosthetist nor orthotist to have any minimum educational qualification, nor
training nor a license to legally and properly treat PATIENTS requiring
their services.
The legislation would allow small businesses to group together when
designing health insurance plans and permit the health insurance companies.
Unfortunately, it would also allow companies to get around state coverage
mandates, such as prosthetic parity bills. and require having to have a
state license
It is not just parity that it is at stake here. There are many insurance
benefit requirements that would be impacted by this bill.
Cancer screenings, diabetes supplies and rehabilitation are just some of the
vital benefits that would suffer.
This parity proposal claims to provide more affordable and expanded
coverage not only fails at that task, but could also make existing access
and cost problems even worse when mandated in a states that does not have
licensure laws . It would foil years of efforts at the state level to make
sure that patients have the health coverage they need.
*NYSAAOP has retained the lobbying firm of McCulley & Associates Inc. James
McCulley; our lobbyist can be contacted at 518-432-3300 or
<mailto:<Email Address Redacted>> <Email Address Redacted> (website:
< <URL Redacted>> www.lobbynewyork.com) to help regulation
efforts.
See more below:
< <URL Redacted>>
www.oandp.com/edge/issues/articles/2006-01_01.asp
Tony Barr
Barr Foundation
< <URL Redacted>> www.oandp.com/barr
561-394-6514
********************
To unsubscribe, send a message to: <Email Address Redacted> with
the words UNSUB OANDP-L in the body of the
message.
If you have a problem unsubscribing,or have other
questions, send e-mail to the moderator
Paul E. Prusakowski,CPO at <Email Address Redacted>
OANDP-L is a forum for the discussion of topics
related to Orthotics and Prosthetics.
Public commercial postings are forbidden. Responses to inquiries
should not be sent to the entire oandp-l list. Professional credentials
or affiliations should be used in all communications.
supporting prosthetic parity .
The New York legislation is studying a bill requiring mandatory health
care benefits for prosthetic devices i.e prosthetic parity legislation .
Are you aware of the fact that in supporting this prosthetic parity
legislation you are forcing insurers to increase prostheic benefits for
amputees whom are subject to a unregulated industry , and untrained and
unaccountable provider ?
Although ACA's efforts to support this parity legislation , may appear to
ensure improved prosthetic health coverage benefits for prosthetic devices,
it will at a minimum be equal to the coverage that is provided for under
federal laws.
It is important that New York legislators oppose this legislation until
such time that the profession of O&P has been regulated.
The Barr Foundation <outbind://19/www.oandp.com/barr> www.oandp.com/barr
has been the lead for patient/consumer advocacy efforts in alliance with the
state O&P professional associations for successfully obtaining state
regulation in most of the 10 states that are currently regulated , since
1995.
Forty (40) states remain unregulated !! New York is one of them !
The consensus seems increasingly to focus on acceptance of the oft-repeated
homily: Think about it: the person who cuts your hair is licensed, but the
person who makes a prosthesis or straightens your daughter's spine does not
have to be licensed.
The delivery of O&P is the only health care 'profession' I know of that is
not licensed in all 50 states.
The lack of licensure protection, besides exposing the patient to
untrained, unqualified services of this specialized health care science and
harming the patient, it also impacts the pocketbook of every taxpayer by
rampant fraud and abuse.
Over 1.8 million Americans are living with limb loss or limb deficiency as a
result of disease, trauma or birth defect.
In return for premiums paid for group health insurance, consumers expect to
be covered for catastrophic illness or injury. Sadly, without legislation to
regulate the profession we can not ensure better coverage, many people
living with the loss or absence of a limb are facing discouraging obstacles
when trying to obtain prosthetic care.
When an individual discovers that prosthetic care is not covered, they may
have to resort to using retirement or children's college savings to purchase
a prosthesis in order to remain working. This has a devastating effect on
amputees and their families.
The financial and social benefits provide a strong case for coverage
,however ,each state that does not currently regulate the O&P profession
needs to address important issues as better ensuring qualified, compotent
and accountable O&P care.
Will passing prosthetic parity legislation, in unregulated states, help
reduce the tremendous amount of fraud and abuse that occurs in the O&P field
or increase it ?
Will forcing insurers to increase prosthetic benefits open the fraud and
abuse door even wider to untrained, unlicensed providers who remain
unaccountable by a optional certification creditialed profession ?
I urge you, to urge your govt. leaders to support regulating this
important health care profession to better obtain qualified services and
better prosthetic coverage.
With the national problems with health care --- lack of insurance, increase
in premiums and high deductibles and of course, the restrictions on
coverage --- it is more important than ever that people get active to push
for access to quality care.
You cannot force mandatory O& P coverage on insurers when the providers, in
New York and the 3 9 other states , are not required to be properly
trained nor have a license to practice.
Right now, there is an effort among O&P manufactures all over the country
to pass prosthetic parity legislation.
A prosthetic parity bill , while appearing to be better ensuring
better health coverage benefits for prosthetic devices , is not a
competent solution to the tremendous fraud and abuse that is occurring in
the O&P health care field, particularly in New York and the other 39
unregulated states.
Parity legislation passed in any state where the providers are not required
to have a license, will just stimulate more abuse and fraud from
unqualified practitioners who cannot be held accountable in a unregulated
profession.
When the sponsors of the Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and
Affordability Act of 2005 (S. 1955) introduced the bill last November, they
claimed that it would expand health care access. The sponsors have continued
to make these claims at the bill has moved into the Senate Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee.
They fail to mention that New York and 39 other states do not require a
prosthetist nor orthotist to have any minimum educational qualification, nor
training nor a license to legally and properly treat PATIENTS requiring
their services.
The legislation would allow small businesses to group together when
designing health insurance plans and permit the health insurance companies.
Unfortunately, it would also allow companies to get around state coverage
mandates, such as prosthetic parity bills. and require having to have a
state license
It is not just parity that it is at stake here. There are many insurance
benefit requirements that would be impacted by this bill.
Cancer screenings, diabetes supplies and rehabilitation are just some of the
vital benefits that would suffer.
This parity proposal claims to provide more affordable and expanded
coverage not only fails at that task, but could also make existing access
and cost problems even worse when mandated in a states that does not have
licensure laws . It would foil years of efforts at the state level to make
sure that patients have the health coverage they need.
*NYSAAOP has retained the lobbying firm of McCulley & Associates Inc. James
McCulley; our lobbyist can be contacted at 518-432-3300 or
<mailto:<Email Address Redacted>> <Email Address Redacted> (website:
< <URL Redacted>> www.lobbynewyork.com) to help regulation
efforts.
See more below:
< <URL Redacted>>
www.oandp.com/edge/issues/articles/2006-01_01.asp
Tony Barr
Barr Foundation
< <URL Redacted>> www.oandp.com/barr
561-394-6514
********************
To unsubscribe, send a message to: <Email Address Redacted> with
the words UNSUB OANDP-L in the body of the
message.
If you have a problem unsubscribing,or have other
questions, send e-mail to the moderator
Paul E. Prusakowski,CPO at <Email Address Redacted>
OANDP-L is a forum for the discussion of topics
related to Orthotics and Prosthetics.
Public commercial postings are forbidden. Responses to inquiries
should not be sent to the entire oandp-l list. Professional credentials
or affiliations should be used in all communications.
Citation
Tony Barr, “NYSAAOP and Ossur- April 7th-Licensure Meeting,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 24, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/226662.
