In This Issue

On June 12, Governor Ted Kulongoski signed HB 2517 into law. Sponsored by Representative Peter Buckley (D) and Senator Alan Bates (D), this legislation requires insurance plans to offer coverage for orthotic and prosthetic care without caps and co-pays that restrict access to prescribed devices. 

The bill also requires that individuals have access to coverage from at least two different providers, to allow for a degree of patient choice in the provision of their care.

“Many people face discouraging obstacles when trying to obtain prosthetic care. This has a devastating effect on amputees and their families. That is why this law is so important,” says Morgan Sheets, the ACA’s national advocacy director.

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 continue working. Some take mortgages out on their homes or try to get bank loans to get the prosthesis they need. This bill closes the coverage gap. 

There are significant fiscal and social benefits to covering prosthetics. A report released by the California Health Benefits Review Program (CHBRP) found that the increase in premiums for prosthetic provision would be about 15 cents per member per month. 

“For less than $2 per year, Oregonians will get the care they need to get back to work and live independent, productive lives,” added Sheets. “The subsequent cost to the healthcare system far exceeds that of providing prostheses, while the lack of productivity places a huge burden on society.”

“Individuals who have undergone some type of amputation and children who are born with limb difference, face many obstacles in their recovery and in their daily routines. Not being able to pay for limb replacement to return to work or go to school shouldn’t be among them,” said Forest Sexton, CPO, one of the lead organizers of the bill. 

The Oregon campaign kicked off in July 2006 with a series of organizing meetings. The bill was introduced into the 2007 session. It was heard before the House Health Care Committee in February. The campaign committee worked on negotiations with various supporters and opponents. It passed the House floor on April 23. The Senate passed it one month later and it went to the governor’s desk for a signature. 

» Activist Corner

» Advocacy Team Launches the Campaign Forward at the ACA Conference

» ACA Participates in Department of Defense Technology Summit

» Research Demonstrates Continued Need for Parity Efforts

» Summer Outreach Efforts Aimed at Strengthening the National Campaign

» State Updates: MD, VA, IN

» Volunteer Program Update

The ACA is committed to fighting for access to prosthetic care, but we need your help!  Please, consider making a tax-deductible donation to the campaign today!

• You can donate on our Web site (www.amputee-coalition.org/advocacy/donation).
• You can also send a check payable to “ACA” with “APPLL” in the subject line or in a note included with the donation to: Amputee Coalition of America, 900 E. Hill Ave, Ste 205, Knoxville, TN  37915.

In this month’s Activist Corner, we are celebrating the work of three state activists who have truly gone above and beyond to make a difference!

Congratulations to Sean Brame, William Samuels and Dennis O’Donnell!  Sean, William and Dennis were the recipients of the three activist themed awards at the ACA’s annual conference in Atlanta, GA in June.  

Sean Brame received the ACA’s Role Model of the Year award.  This award recognizes the power that one person’s positive influence can have over another or many other individuals, which in turn benefits a whole community. It is given to an amputee who has inspired, mentored or otherwise helped individuals within the amputee community or members of the Amputee Coalition of America.

In May 2005, at age nine, Sean became a quadrilateral amputee from septic shock, following an ankle injury while playing soccer. Less than a year after losing his limbs, Sean rejoined his soccer team! 

Sean demonstrates a strong will and amazing determination. He often tells others what his second-grade teacher told him: "You can do anything as long as you put your mind to it." He lives up to this motto each and every day.

Sean is very active in his local support group. He was recently trained as an ACA peer visitor. And he has been a very big part of the effort to advance prosthetic parity in the state of Pennsylvania. He testified at a legislative hearing in fall 2006. He spoke at a press conference and rally at the Capitol in April. And he has acted as a spokesperson for prosthetic parity at many events.

William Samuels received the ACA’s Volunteer of the Year award. This award is given to an individual in recognition of dedication and commitment of personal time, resources or skills to reach out to members of the amputee community and other people served by the ACA.

William is an ACA certified family visitor.  He’s also been a big part of the effort to advance prosthetic parity in the state of Tennessee. In fact, the Memphis group hosted one of our very first organizing meetings last summer.

Dennis O’Donnell received the ACA’s Advocate of the Year award.  This award is given to an individual who has made significant contributions to ACA’s national campaign for prosthetic coverage through involvement in our state-by-state effort to raise awareness, build support and advance legislation.

Dennis is a bilateral above-knee amputee. He has firsthand experience with insurance issues and spent his first two years as an amputee in a wheelchair. The private insurance that he had at the time did not have sufficient prosthetic coverage to provide him with the prostheses that would allow him to walk. When Dennis became eligible for Medicare he was fitted with appropriate prostheses and has now returned to work.

These experiences led him to work tirelessly to push the parity bill forward in New Jersey. He has spoken at both hearings for the bill in front of the state legislature and helped to push it out of committee in both chambers.

As a very active member of the Amps in Action support group and developer of the group’s Web site, Dennis has enabled and encouraged other amputees and their family members to get involved with the fight for parity. He has initiated letter-writing campaigns, started an online petition and single-handedly collected over 2,000 signatures for the Amputee Coalition of America’s "10 in 10” campaign this past spring. 

You can help too!  Print out a copy of the ACA’s petition in support of parity, work to gather signatures in your community and send it into the advocacy staff.  This is a great way to help spread the word and demonstrate support!

The ACA Annual Conference was a great success for the advocacy team!

• We distributed more than 100 copies of the state organizing kit.

• We did a presentation at the Support Group Leaders’ Workshop.  

• The day before the conference, we held a training on working with the media. 

• On Friday, we held a lunch with activists from Texas to discuss next steps for the campaign.  

• We worked with the photographer to organize a photo shoot in order to update and enhance our materials and Web site.

• On Saturday, we held an organizing meeting to lay the groundwork for a Georgia parity bill in 2008.  

• We held an intensive workshop on Saturday afternoon, focused on the skills, tactics and tools of grassroots and direct lobbying. 

• And we offered individual consultations — meetings with activists interested in talking one-on-one about building or enhancing the campaign in their states. Over the course of the conference, we held meetings with activists from TN, NY, VA, WA, FL, WI, IL, NJ, NE, DE and TX. 

Next Steps

• We identified activists in NE, AZ and GA who are interested in starting a parity campaign.

• We are working with IL to hold an organizing meeting in the fall.

• The NY activists are coordinating a series of in-district meetings to target Insurance Committee members.

The Department of Defense Office of the Secretary of Defense Manufacturing Technology Program and the Navy Manufacturing Technology Program held an Orthotics & Prosthetics Development and Manufacturing Workshop in Silver Spring, Maryland, June 25-27, 2007. The event was a “technology summit” for experts, practitioners, advocates and visionaries from the orthotics & prosthetics development and manufacturing community.

The ultimate goal of the workshop is to improve service members’ ability to return to their highest level of activity whether they return to active duty or transition into VA programs and the civilian community. Additionally, the civilian limb loss populations require devices medically necessary to lead healthful lifestyles. Rapid advances in materials and electronic technology, coupled with increasing need for lighter, more durable, affordable and functional devices, support the need to intensify the focus of resources for advancements in the design and production of orthotic & prosthetic devices.

“In the workshop we developed core content of the O&P roadmap, establishing the needed foundation for further planning of R&D projects,” says Jeremiah Pérez, ACA’s national advocacy specialist. “This is an exciting time for the future and advancement of prosthetics. The ACA’s role is to ensure that those who need it have access to new and emerging technology.”

Research Demonstrates the Continued Need for Parity Efforts

In 2006, the Amputee Coalition of America did an online poll of our members.  The results of that poll came out just before the ACA launched our national campaign for prosthetic parity.  The figures were staggering.  At that time, of the respondents who had private insurance, 24 percent had experienced a reduction in prosthetic coverage over the past three years.  Four percent had their coverage eliminated entirely.  This drove home the importance of the campaign work that was being undertaken.

Much progress has been made, but it’s clear that we must continue the fight for prosthetic care. In an online survey during June and July 2007, the ACA found that insurance coverage was reduced for 29 percent of respondents and eliminated for 8 percent of respondents.  Sadly, the situation has become worse for so many of our members. 

We’re happy to report, however, that coverage had increased for 5 percent of respondents. As more and more states step up to introduce a bill for parity, companies are being made aware of the importance of covering prosthetic care.  This is certainly increasing the public’s awareness of this important issue.  

In addition, many of the people who are working with the ACA’s National Limb Loss Information Center to appeal coverage denials are not only winning their own personal battles, but are also helping to push companies in the right direction. 

Both Pennsylvania and New York held very successful events at their state capitols in April.  The local campaign committees worked with the ACA throughout the winter to plan for a series of events including a lobby day, press conference and a rally in Harrisburg and Albany. 

These events were attended by activists from across the state, as well as many supportive legislators. 

Summer is here, but for the ACA that means plenty of opportunities to build our national effort in order to be an even strong force during next year’s legislative sessions.

Several new states have contacted the ACA to discuss launching a parity campaign.  Activists from AZ, VT and LA have recently begun to take the necessary steps to pull together their own initiatives.  This is incredibly exciting.  As we look at a map these days, there aren’t many states left that are not involved in our efforts to secure access to prosthetic parity.  In fact, while insurance restrictions continue to be a national trend, we find that prosthetic parity is also a national trend.

Activists in several states are working with the ACA to conduct statewide outreach drives.  Drives are being held in NY, VA, PA, MI, NJ, DE, AZ, WA, WI and GA.  The exciting aspect of this recent initiative is that it involves both new states and those who have been fighting along with us for several years. 

In addition, many other activists are working to gather petitions at local festivals and walk-a-thons. This is a great way to reach out to people who may not have heard about the efforts but would be willing to get involved and voice their support for the legislature.  

On June 6, 2007, the ACA held its first Maryland prosthetic parity organizing meeting in Columbia, Maryland! This is an exciting opportunity to help implement public policy that will change the lives of Marylanders with limb loss.

While the state has provided protections for orthotic and prosthetic (O&P) services covered under nonprofit service plans, there is still a loophole for health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and for-profit plans. We are confident that, with your help, we will be able to extend O&P care to all private health insurance plans in the state of Maryland.

The next campaign committee meeting will be held via conference call on August 29.  For more information or to get involved, contact the advocacy team at appll@amputee-coalition.org or 202/742-1885.

The ACA’s national advocacy director, Morgan Sheets, recently traveled to Indianapolis to help jump-start the new campaign.  The Indiana committee has been meeting for several months.  They have made great strides in a short period of time.  This trip was aimed at helping them to get to the next level. 

Sheets and the local campaign chairs met with several organizations to discuss endorsing the campaign.  The groups included the Indianapolis Medical Society, the local chapter of the American Diabetes Association, the Indiana State Medical Association, the local chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association and the American College of Rehabilitative Medicine.

In addition to the coalition meetings, they also held an organizing meeting to discuss the next steps in the campaign. It was very well attended.  They were able to pull together a solid plan to move forward in their efforts to build their lists and identify a sponsor for the legislation. 

Sheets also held several strategy sessions with the three leaders of the campaign.  All in all, it was a very successful trip.

SB 931 was introduced into the Virginia Senate in January 2007. It was assigned to the Special Commission on Health Insurance Mandates. This commission includes elected and non-elected members. They are charged with advising the Governor and the General Assembly on the social and financial impact of current and proposed mandated benefits and providers.  The bill is also under consideration by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC).

The Special Commission on Mandated Health Insurance Benefits will hold a hearing to review SB 931 on September 20 in Richmond, Virginia.  JLARC will present its findings at this time.  This will also be an
opportunity for activists to present testimony in support of the bill. 

How can you help pass Senate Bill 931?

• Save the Date: Mark September 20 on your calendars. We need to fill that hearing room!
• Letter to the Editor: The ACA is conducting a “letter to the editor” drive to raise awareness and demonstrate to key decision makers that prosthetic coverage is important to Virginians.  Simply send a letter of support to your local papers.  We have samples available at our online Action Center (www.amputee-coalition.org/advocacy).

For more information or to get involved, e-mail appll@amputee-coalition.org or call 202/742-1885.

To find out what is happening in your area, visit www.amputee-coalition.org/advocacy and click on “In Your State.”  You can also learn more about the campaign and download organizing materials, including sample letters and fact sheets!

Local volunteers help with a mailing to ACA supporters.

The ACA’s national advocacy office officially launched our volunteer program in the fall of 2006.  At the time, we had about three volunteers at our monthly gatherings. Recently as many as 25 people have participated in our volunteer nights. 

“This is not only a very exciting indicator of the support for prosthetic parity, but it has also been tremendously helpful in our efforts to support each state’s campaign,” says Morgan Sheets, national advocacy director.

Volunteers have already become an important part of the ACA’s advocacy efforts by assisting with fund raising mailings, entering petitions to garner additional support and calling ACA members to encourage turnout for organizing meetings and rallies.

Volunteers can even set up a day and time to drop in the office during the daytime to help out. Meals and refreshments are provided. In addition, volunteers who participate in three volunteer opportunities will receive two free movie tickets!

Volunteers help make outreach, publicity and fundraising calls.

“Within the past 6 months, volunteers helped raise over $15,000!” says Jeremiah Pérez, national advocacy specialist. “We wouldn’t be able to accomplish our fund raising and campaign goals without the time, help and dedication of our volunteers. We thank those who have volunteered and appreciate the continued support!”