Missouri Prosthetic Companies Should Financialy Support Parity

Recently, the MCPLL has had a harder time than expected getting financial support for prosthetic parity from the prosthetic industry here in Missouri, who should be the first to support this legislation. Working-age amputees are leading the effort, and they stand to gain the most in terms of quality of life. But prosthetic companies are the ones with the money who understand the issue and deal with the insurance companies most directly, and they also stand to benefit financially from the passage of parity legislation. That means they should pay the bulk of what it costs to get any law passed in our society (for good or ill), and that means paying a professional representative, also known as a lobbyist. However, it’s becoming more and more difficult to stay current on our payments to our lobbyist, Kent Gaines, who is doing an excellent job gaining strategic allies in the legislature.

At first, several companies jumped at the chance to give, so we had money in the bank, and some of them have even stepped up to shell out more money as it starts to run out. But fewer and fewer practices seem interested. Amputees in Missouri are urged to take a look at the list below, also found in the right margin, where it will be constantly updated as new checks and pledges come in.

Illinois does things differently. They have a professional association of prosthetists and orthotists that collects dues, and some of that money goes to its government relations efforts, including parity. Here in Missouri, efforts to get just such an association started led first to our highest priority, helping our patients get this law passed.

Here is the list of contributing prosthetic practices in MO, in alphabetical order, also available on http://molimbloss.blogspot.com:

• Advanced O & P (pledged)
• Central Brace Company
• Hanger O & P
• Lux O & P (pledged)
• O & P Design
• O & P Labs
• P & O Care

The following individual prosthetists have also made personal contributions:

• Dan Luitjohan
• Richard Haws
• Richard Thiele

Missouri Coalition for People with Limb Loss Flyer

Missouri Coalition for People with Limb Loss - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: Missouri Coalition for People with Limb Loss

Prosthetic Parity: Saving Money, Saving Lives

Prosthetic Parity: Saving Money Saving Lives - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: Prosthetic Parity: Saving Money Saving Lives

Letter to Prosthetists and Prosthetic Companies in MO

The following fundraising letter to Certified Prosthetists and Prosthetic Companies in Missouri was sent out Tuesday. I will be following up in the week to come.

[An alternative for those who wish to donate but cannot afford to give the recommended $250 or $2,000 for a company would be to pledge to raise the same amount. Prosthetists could raise $25 from ten friends or host an informational coffee night at their home. Prosthetic companies could host an open house and invite local doctors, therapists, politicians, and friends.]

Last year, the Missouri Coalition for People with Limb Loss (MCPLL) began its efforts to make sure your hard-working patients get the health insurance coverage they deserve. Now, we are asking for your help to guarantee that their voices get heard in the 2009 Missouri General Assembly.

You know better than anyone how ordinary people are being taken advantage of. They never imagined they would become amputees, but they did know they had health insurance for a reason: they paid into a system they thought would take care of them just in case a sudden trauma or unexpected diagnosis hit them out of the blue. You know that prosthetic coverage is not an unnecessary peripheral benefit, an extra, an add-on, or a luxury. Artificial arms and legs are the very things that health insurance exists to cover, because without them people cannot complete their rehabilitation from injury and amputation, and they cannot go back to work or lead an active, healthy lifestyle.

Prosthetic parity laws have now been enacted in eleven states, and all remaining thirty-nine states will file next year. Here in Missouri, we’ve already been through one trial run. During 2008 we learned the ropes, hired a fantastic lobbyist, testified at two hearings, and saw our bill pass out of the Senate Health Insurance Committee.

Now it’s time for everyone across the Show-Me State who genuinely cares about this issue to get involved. We are asking you to give $250 and for your company to give $2,000; check can be made payable to “Missouri Coalition for People with Limb Loss.” Every little bit helps, but these ballpark figures will help us reach our goal of $70,000 by January 1, 2009. Already we have more than 10% raised, and more has been pledged! These funds will go toward paying our lobbyist, Kent Gaines, as well as paying for letter-writing campaigns, publication of brochures and flyers, and trips to Jefferson City so that real amputees can meet with legislators. In the coming weeks, I will be contacting you to see if you are ready to join us in this cause.

Best wishes for your business and for the health of your patients,

Bill McLellan
Fundraising Chair
Missouri Coalition for People with Limb Loss
314-779-4641

Prosthetic Parity Action Alert

On behalf of the Missouri Coalition for People with Limb Loss, I am excited to let you know that House Bill 2100 has been referred to the Special Committee on Health Insurance. This bill requires health insurance companies that claim to cover prosthetics to pay Medicare allowable rates without capping coverage at ridiculously low levels.

Real prosthetic parity is within our grasp! If we can get a hearing scheduled, we can all go to Jefferson City, drum up some publicity, and make our case before our legislators in public. Otherwise, our effort will fail this time around. It is absolutely necessary that as many Missourians as possible contact the committee chair, Rep. Wilson, as well as your own legislators, and ask for a hearing! Here is some information to make that easier for you to do right away. Please, take the time to stop what you’re doing and make just one or two phone calls or e-mails. What you do will make a difference!

Representative Kevin Wilson, Chair, Special Committee on Health Insurance
Home Zip: 64850; Counties: McDonald, Newton; District 130
Capitol Phone: 573-751-9781
E-mail: Kevin.Wilson@house.mo.gov

Everyone, please call and/or e-mail Rep. Wilson and say:
Please grant a Hearing for House Bill 2100 concerning prosthetic parity.

If you would like to say more, here are three quick talking points you can include in a phone call or cut-and-paste into an e-mail:

1. Employers, working Missourians, and amputees are being deceived into thinking that prosthetics are covered in their policies when, in fact, payment is capped at less than one-fourth to one-half the cost.
2. Some working-age amputees have found it better to get on Medicaid or Disability instead of returning to their jobs because coverage is better than with private insurance.
3. The cost of prosthetic parity laws on private health insurance is somewhere between 12 and 25 cents per member per month, or less than $3.00 per year.

Also, include any personal information, especially if you are an amputee or have been affected by insurance caps on prosthetic coverage.

If any of you or your patients or friends live in Rep. Wilson’s district, please get them involved!

Here is a list of all the members of the insurance committee. By clicking on their name you can immediately send them an e-mail.

Wilson, Kevin, Chair
Kraus, Will, Vice Chair
Bland, Craig C.
Grill, Jason
Hubbard, Rodney R.
Kratky, Michele
Pollock, Darrell
Portwood, Dr. Charles R.
Sander, Therese
Sater, David

Please check and see if your legislator is on this list, either by clicking on their name or by looking up your rep here: http://www.senate.mo.gov/llookup/leg_lookup.aspx . You can send an e-mail or make a phone call and say the same things listed above for Rep. Wilson. Once we get a hearing, we can go from there.

Thank you for your participation in this worthy cause. Feel free to forward this blog post to anyone, especially other amputees, whom you think will want to get involved. For more information, continue to check our blog at http://molimbloss.blogspot.com/.

Morgan Sheets: Letter about State and Federal Prosthetic Parity Bills

Dear Editor: Currently, due to archaic insurance regulations, prosthetic care is being put out of reach for many amputees in Wisconsin. Insurance plans are restricting or even eliminating coverage for prostheses. This is a matter that Congress must address.

In return for premiums paid for private health insurance, consumers expect to be covered for catastrophic illness or injury. They expect that their monthly premiums will provide them with the most basic of care, including prostheses.

Policy reports regarding prosthetic parity laws from Colorado, Massachusetts, California, New Jersey and Virginia suggest that the costs are minimal -- anywhere from 12 to 25 cents per member per month.

If amputees are prevented from accessing prosthetic care, this increases state Medicaid costs due to complications. The subsequent cost to the health care system far exceeds that of providing prosthetic care, while the lack of productivity places a huge burden on society.

Prosthetic parity bills have been launched all over the country, including in the state of Wisconsin. A federal prosthetic parity bill is going to be introduced next year. This bill would ensure that prostheses are treated the same as other basic, essential care.

Please urge your member of Congress to co-sponsor the federal parity bill when it is introduced. We must give people with limb loss the care they need to fully participate in society!

Morgan Sheets, national advocacy director, Amputee Coalition of America, Washington, D.C.A letter to the editor.