ACA Advocacy - In Your State

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Minnesota

ACA Advocacy Staff

Tuesday, September 01, 2009

State Prosthetic Parity Campaign: Breaking news! Prosthetic parity legislation has been introduced in the Minnesota House and Senate. HF 2379 was introduced by Representative Rudd and SF 2139 was introduced by Senators Marty, Torres, Ray, and Lourey. HF 2379 has been referred to the Health Care and Human Services Policy and Oversight Committee and SF 2139 has been referred to the Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee. Contact your legislators today and ask them to support this important legislation!

To find out who your local Representatives and Senators are, please click here: http://www.leg.state.mn.us/ and input your address under the "Who Represents Me" section.

There is a strong group of professionals who are coordinating with the Amputee Coalition of America (ACA). They are working on pulling together systems around their campaign. The group is called Prosthetic Equality for Minnesota and have a great website at www.mnparity.com.

Their mission statement: To initiate, promote, and realize the passage of legislation in the State of Minnesota that will ensure that prosthetic devices are viewed as and insured as a basic life necessity for individuals with limb loss or congenital limb absence. MN-PARTS will work to see that legislation provides fair and consistent insurance coverage for prosthetic devices in order to optimize the ability for these individuals to lead healthy and productive lives.

They are working with a lobbyist, William J. Amberg from Ewald Consulting. We have been able to confirm a sponsor, and will work with them to introduce legislation this year.

The Amputee Coalition of America and Prosthetic Equality for Minnesota will continue to work with the Minnesota Society of Orthotists, Prosthetists and Pedorthists (MSOPP), the professional association.

To get involved, contact us at state@amputee-coalition.org or 202/742-1885. Or you can also reach out to our local activist, Cate Braun at cbraun@winkley.com.

Other Advocacy Issues: While parity is a big priority for the ACA’s advocacy team, we have recently been involved in a number of issues advocating on behalf of people with limb loss and limb difference. Is there a bill or issue in your state that we need to know about? Contact us at state@amputee-coalition.org.

The ACA is also working hard to pass federal parity legislation in order to extend protections for health plans regulated by Congress (about half of all policies). Get informed by visiting our federal parity page.

Help keep up the fight for parity and protect the health and rights of amputees throughout the country! Whether you can give $5, $50 or $500 we need your financial support!! Write a check to the “Amputee Coalition of America” and send it to: ACA, 300 East Hill Ave, Suite 205, Knoxville, TN, 37915 or make a donation online on our secure marketplace at: www.amputee-coalition.org/advocacy/donation.

For more information about our efforts on the state or federal campaigns, contact the Government Relations Department at 202/742-1885 or Dan@amputee-coalition.org.

*This page is funded by the ACA and not supported with CDC grant funding. Views expressed in the contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the ACA.