Prosthetic Parity Bill in PA
Morgan Sheets
Description
Collection
Title:
Prosthetic Parity Bill in PA
Creator:
Morgan Sheets
Date:
6/9/2006
Text:
Amputee Coalition of America <Email Address Redacted> <mailto:<Email Address Redacted>>
HB 2718 (link to the bill <URL Redacted> < <URL Redacted>> ), a bill for prosthetic coverage in Pennsylvania was introduced on Monday, June 5th. It was referred to the Committee on Health & Human Services the next day.
This is very good news!! We need your help to keep this bill moving forward!
1) Contact the Chair of the Health & Human Services Committee. Your letter should stress the need to get the bill out of committee for a vote on the floor. A sample letter is included below.
Rep. George Kenney
* Address: 108 Ryan Building, House Box 202020, Harrisburg, PA 17120-2020
* Phone: 717-787-8523
* Email: <Email Address Redacted>
2) Contact the committee members today! Tell them why they should support this important bill and ask them to schedule a committee hearing on the bill.
* The list of committee members can be found at: <URL Redacted> < http://www2.amputee-coalition.org:8080/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/member_information/representatives_sc.cfm%23hhs > .
Of the 28 committee members, 5 are co-sponsors of the bill including the Subcommittee Chair on Health, Rep. McIlhattan and the Secretary, Rep. Myers. The other committee co-sponsors include Rep. Bebko-Jones, Rep. Kotik and Rep. Lederer.
3) Send a letter to the elected officials who represent you. And remember, a truly great letter will also include your own thoughts, stories and reasons for pushing for parity!
* Search for your house and senate members at: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/ < http://www2.amputee-coalition.org:8080/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.legis.state.pa.us/ > Just enter your zip code in the upper right hand corner.
* If your representative is a co-sponsor (supporter) of the bill, make sure to thank them!
Current co-sponsors include: O'Neill, McIlhattan, Bebko-Jones, Belfanti, Beyer, Caltagirone, Cawley, Crahalla, Creighton, DeWeese, Fabrizio, Freeman, Geist, George, Goodman, Grucela, Harhai, Hennessey, James, Kotik, Lederer, Markosek, McGeehan, Myers, Pallone, Parker, Payne, Phillips, Pistella, Pyle, Scavello, Siptroth, Solobay, Surra, E.Z. Taylor, Thomas, Tigue and Youngblood
Thank you to those of you who already wrote to your legislators in support of prosthetic parity. With your help, we can keep this important bill moving forward. Please, take action today!
For more information, contact us at 202-742-1880 or <Email Address Redacted> <mailto:<Email Address Redacted>> .
Sample Letter
Dear Representative ____,
I am writing in response to HB 2718, a bill for prosthetic coverage. In return for premiums paid for group health insurance, consumers expect to be covered for catastrophic illness or injury. Sadly, without legislation to ensure coverage, many people living with the loss or absence of a limb are facing discouraging obstacles when trying to obtain prosthetic care. Current changes in insurance plans are having a devastating effect on amputees and their families.
For example, companies will pay the surgical cost of amputating a limb, and for subsequent amputations caused by inactivity, while simultaneously limiting or even eliminating prosthetic coverage. Other payers impose such unrealistic annual and lifetime caps on prosthetic coverage that people with limb loss are unable to obtain prostheses.
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. Some take mortgages out on their homes, try to get bank loans, and even use a series of high interest credit cards to get the prosthetic limbs they need.
Obviously, the biggest concern anybody has about passing a new mandate is cost. People fear that big jumps in the cost of insurance will reduce access to health care. None of us want to see health insurance costs pushed beyond the reach of the average consumer. Our best financial data comes from Colorado. They were the first state to pass prosthetic
parity legislation in 1998.
A Department of Health Care Policy & Financing report found that the maximum increase in premiums for prosthetic provision would be .0008% per member or about 12 cents per month. This cost estimate did not take into account that there would also be a cost savings by both the private and public sector.
In the first year of implementation, covering prosthetics and orthotics resulted in a net savings of almost half a million dollars. These savings were for medical expenses only.
The provision of prostheses results in a variety of benefits, some of which are fiscal in nature; some of which are more related to quality of life issues, which are less measurable.
Non-fiscal benefits include a reduction in the secondary conditions caused by a sedentary lifestyle, decreased dependence on caretakers, and reduced chance of
diabetic-related complications leading to additional limb amputation. In addition, this segment of the population can become contributing members of society instead of dependant on it.
Both the financial and social benefits provide a strong case for prosthetic coverage. I urge you to support HB 2718. I am also requesting that HB 2718 be scheduled for a public hearing in order to allow you the opportunity to hear from people in Pennsylvania about this important bill.
Sincerely,
Name, Address, Phone
Morgan Sheets
National Campaign Director for APPLL (Action Plan for People with Limb Loss)
Amputee Coalition of America
Direct ph. 202-742-1880
Cell Ph. 202-302-4373
Fax: (866) 599-8994
http://www.amputee-coalition.org < http://www.amputee-coalition.org >
Check out the latest edition of our APPLL Core: Access to Care newsletter: http://www.amputee-coalition.org/appll_access/access-0506.pdf .
HB 2718 (link to the bill <URL Redacted> < <URL Redacted>> ), a bill for prosthetic coverage in Pennsylvania was introduced on Monday, June 5th. It was referred to the Committee on Health & Human Services the next day.
This is very good news!! We need your help to keep this bill moving forward!
1) Contact the Chair of the Health & Human Services Committee. Your letter should stress the need to get the bill out of committee for a vote on the floor. A sample letter is included below.
Rep. George Kenney
* Address: 108 Ryan Building, House Box 202020, Harrisburg, PA 17120-2020
* Phone: 717-787-8523
* Email: <Email Address Redacted>
2) Contact the committee members today! Tell them why they should support this important bill and ask them to schedule a committee hearing on the bill.
* The list of committee members can be found at: <URL Redacted> < http://www2.amputee-coalition.org:8080/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/member_information/representatives_sc.cfm%23hhs > .
Of the 28 committee members, 5 are co-sponsors of the bill including the Subcommittee Chair on Health, Rep. McIlhattan and the Secretary, Rep. Myers. The other committee co-sponsors include Rep. Bebko-Jones, Rep. Kotik and Rep. Lederer.
3) Send a letter to the elected officials who represent you. And remember, a truly great letter will also include your own thoughts, stories and reasons for pushing for parity!
* Search for your house and senate members at: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/ < http://www2.amputee-coalition.org:8080/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.legis.state.pa.us/ > Just enter your zip code in the upper right hand corner.
* If your representative is a co-sponsor (supporter) of the bill, make sure to thank them!
Current co-sponsors include: O'Neill, McIlhattan, Bebko-Jones, Belfanti, Beyer, Caltagirone, Cawley, Crahalla, Creighton, DeWeese, Fabrizio, Freeman, Geist, George, Goodman, Grucela, Harhai, Hennessey, James, Kotik, Lederer, Markosek, McGeehan, Myers, Pallone, Parker, Payne, Phillips, Pistella, Pyle, Scavello, Siptroth, Solobay, Surra, E.Z. Taylor, Thomas, Tigue and Youngblood
Thank you to those of you who already wrote to your legislators in support of prosthetic parity. With your help, we can keep this important bill moving forward. Please, take action today!
For more information, contact us at 202-742-1880 or <Email Address Redacted> <mailto:<Email Address Redacted>> .
Sample Letter
Dear Representative ____,
I am writing in response to HB 2718, a bill for prosthetic coverage. In return for premiums paid for group health insurance, consumers expect to be covered for catastrophic illness or injury. Sadly, without legislation to ensure coverage, many people living with the loss or absence of a limb are facing discouraging obstacles when trying to obtain prosthetic care. Current changes in insurance plans are having a devastating effect on amputees and their families.
For example, companies will pay the surgical cost of amputating a limb, and for subsequent amputations caused by inactivity, while simultaneously limiting or even eliminating prosthetic coverage. Other payers impose such unrealistic annual and lifetime caps on prosthetic coverage that people with limb loss are unable to obtain prostheses.
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. Some take mortgages out on their homes, try to get bank loans, and even use a series of high interest credit cards to get the prosthetic limbs they need.
Obviously, the biggest concern anybody has about passing a new mandate is cost. People fear that big jumps in the cost of insurance will reduce access to health care. None of us want to see health insurance costs pushed beyond the reach of the average consumer. Our best financial data comes from Colorado. They were the first state to pass prosthetic
parity legislation in 1998.
A Department of Health Care Policy & Financing report found that the maximum increase in premiums for prosthetic provision would be .0008% per member or about 12 cents per month. This cost estimate did not take into account that there would also be a cost savings by both the private and public sector.
In the first year of implementation, covering prosthetics and orthotics resulted in a net savings of almost half a million dollars. These savings were for medical expenses only.
The provision of prostheses results in a variety of benefits, some of which are fiscal in nature; some of which are more related to quality of life issues, which are less measurable.
Non-fiscal benefits include a reduction in the secondary conditions caused by a sedentary lifestyle, decreased dependence on caretakers, and reduced chance of
diabetic-related complications leading to additional limb amputation. In addition, this segment of the population can become contributing members of society instead of dependant on it.
Both the financial and social benefits provide a strong case for prosthetic coverage. I urge you to support HB 2718. I am also requesting that HB 2718 be scheduled for a public hearing in order to allow you the opportunity to hear from people in Pennsylvania about this important bill.
Sincerely,
Name, Address, Phone
Morgan Sheets
National Campaign Director for APPLL (Action Plan for People with Limb Loss)
Amputee Coalition of America
Direct ph. 202-742-1880
Cell Ph. 202-302-4373
Fax: (866) 599-8994
http://www.amputee-coalition.org < http://www.amputee-coalition.org >
Check out the latest edition of our APPLL Core: Access to Care newsletter: http://www.amputee-coalition.org/appll_access/access-0506.pdf .
Citation
Morgan Sheets, “Prosthetic Parity Bill in PA,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 2, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/226831.
