In This Issue

Activist Corner

Advocacy Tip

ACA Featured in Boston Globe

Massachusetts Joins National Trend Protecting Access to Prosthetic Care

Governor Schwarzenegger Signs Prosthetic and Orthotic Coverage Bill

Pennsylvania Commits to Protecting Prosthetic Coverage in 2007

ACA Launches Exciting, New Online Action Center

The Amputee Coalition of America’s Washington, D.C. office has launched a new and exciting volunteer program through which ACA members, healthcare providers, coalition partners, family members and friends can offer a couple of hours of their time to help the Action Plan for People with Limb Loss (APPLL).

Our goal is to make prosthetic coverage a reality across the United States. One of the most important elements of organizing for success is the demonstrated support of individuals who will benefit from and support this important legislation.

There are two types of power in the world: money and people. The ACA will never have the financial resources of the insurance companies, but we will always have access to the second form of power: people.

Volunteers have already become an important part of the ACA’s advocacy work. In October, a group of volunteers helped raise over $5,000 in one night. Past volunteer activities have included assisting with the compilation of mailings to members and calling ACA members to encourage turnout for organizing meetings and briefings.

The enhanced program will include a monthly volunteer night, a bimonthly volunteer newsletter and an incentive program to reward regular volunteers and encourage attendance.

Volunteers and staff having fun at the D.C. office in October 2006.

With the introduction of legislation for prosthetic coverage across the country, volunteers are sure to play an important role in keeping our members informed and helping us to generate activity at the state level.

The ACA’s Washington, D.C. office is holding its first annual Holiday Party on Wednesday, December 20. With the passage of three new bills this year and a growing campaign, we have a lot to celebrate!

WHAT: First Annual Holiday Party
WHEN: Wednesday, December 20 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
WHERE: ACA D.C. office: 1436 U St., NW, on U Street between 14th and 15th

For more information or to RSVP, contact us at 202/742-1885 or APPLL@amputee-coalition.org.

Welcome to the Activist Corner , a new column in our Access to Care newsletter. The Activist Corner will feature individuals, groups or organizations that are working to make change in their communities. We will also feature effective techniques and tips to help activists make the most of their time and resources.

Don reaching out at a local church.

What does it take to be a good activist? Just ask Donald S. Davis, of North Wales, Pennsylvania. He was one of the ACA's top activists this fall! Don knows that a little time and some optimism go a long way! Don is an active member of the Amputee Support Team (AST) of Pennsylvania. He has also been a big part of the ACA's prosthetic coverage efforts in his state.

Every Voice Counts! With sample petitions in hand provided by the ACA, Don helped spread the word by asking friends, neighbors and church members to sign petitions to build an even stronger and farther-reaching campaign.

Help Build Support! When Don's local church held a community fair, he set up a table with outreach materials provided by the ACA. What a great way to reach out to people and inform the community of available resources for individuals with limb loss!

Use Your Voice! Using a sample letter to the editor provided by the ACA, Don sent letters to papers throughout his area and secured placement in over 10 newspapers . On October 19, the Health and Human Services Committee heard House Bill 2718, a bill calling for prosthetic coverage. With Don’s help, elected officials saw firsthand how the state has been made aware of the need for prosthetic coverage. His letters demonstrated strong public support for the bill.

Advocacy Tip: Writing a letter to your local paper is an easy way to educate and advocate!

People read the Opinion section, so if you get a letter published, you are helping to raise awareness. Legislators also realize that if a letter is published in a local paper, there must be people in their district who care about that issue.

Letters to the Editor:

1. Visit the ACA’s new Advocacy Action Center at www.amputee-coalition.org/advocacy/index.html

2. Click on TAKE ACTION in the left-hand corner.

3. Download a sample letter to the editor (under How to Make a Difference).

4. Pick up your local newspapers or visit www.newslink.org to find contact information.

5. Find the "Letters to the Editor" section and read the submission guidelines.

6. Type up your own letter, or you can copy and paste the sample letter, add your personal story and send!

To receive a sample letter to the editor, visit the Action Center or e-mail us at appll@amputee-coalition.org. We can also send you information in the mail. Please call 202/742-1885.

The ACA and the recent success in Massachusetts were featured in articles in both the Boston Globe and the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. Both articles discussed the impact of grassroots activists on the passage of the bill.

Whether it is the recent victories in Massachusetts and California or the new campaign committees that are being created all over the country, it’s grassroots activism that is really fueling the fight for prosthetic coverage.

To read the articles, go to the Media Hits page on the new Advocacy Action Center:
www.amputee-coalition.org/advocacy/index.html

After years of hard work by groups like the Massachusetts Society of Orthotists and Prosthetists, and with support from the Amputee Coalition of America (ACA), Gov. Mitt Romney signed H5256 into law. H5256 mandates that insurance plans provide coverage for prosthetics that equals the coverage provided for such devices under the federal Medicare laws.

Without legislation to ensure coverage, many people living with the loss or absence of a limb face discouraging obstacles when trying to obtain prosthetic care. Many insurance companies are reducing coverage or eliminating it altogether.

When they don’t have adequate coverage, families often go into serious debt. They mortgage homes, get bank loans, use college and retirement savings or cost-shift to the state to get a prosthetic from Medicaid. The ACA is part of a national campaign to advance legislation state-by-state requiring insurance companies to cover appropriate prosthetic care.

“We applaud Governor Romney for giving people the care they need to live independent, productive lives,” said Paddy Rossbach, President and CEO of the ACA.

Governor Schwarzenegger Signs Prosthetic and Orthotic Coverage Bill

On September 30, California became the sixth state to protect prosthetic coverage under the law.  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed AB 2012, a bill that mandates that insurance plans offering benefits for orthotic and prosthetic (O&P) care must provide full coverage — without caps and copays that restrict access to prescribed devices.  The new bill will make certain that insured, working people can continue working and supporting their families.

“Currently, when health plans and insurers offer orthotic and prosthetic coverage, they may offer coverage that in reality provides only a small portion of the total costs of a prosthetic limb,” says Gov. Schwarzenegger. “For instance, a health plan may only cover $2,000 of the cost of a prosthetic arm, leaving the patient to pay the remaining cost, which could be $10,000 or higher,” added Gov. Schwarzenegger.

“My husband and I are thrilled with the passage of this bill,” says Anne Bahl, of Mountain View. “Now we have hope that our 15-year-old son, who lost his leg to cancer last year, will finally have access to adequate prosthetic coverage, both now and, even more importantly, in the future when he is on his own.”

The bill was sponsored by the California Orthotics and Prosthetics Association (COPA) and supported by the ACA and its members.

The ACA is part of a national campaign to advance legislation state-by-state requiring insurance companies to cover appropriate prosthetic care.

A bill calling for equity for prosthetic coverage in health insurance policies was the focus of a public hearing held by the House Health and Human Services Committee in October. The hearing was chaired by Rep. Fred McIlhattan. Individuals and practitioners from across the state came out to testify in support of the bill.

“Individuals who have undergone some type of amputation, such as an arm, leg, hand or foot, and children who are born with limb loss or difference, face many obstacles in their recovery and in their daily routines,” McIlhattan said. “Not being able to pay for limb replacement to return to work or lead productive lives shouldn’t be among them. This hearing was held to determine whether state law should reflect uniformity in the healthcare coverage for the cost of prosthetics as well as repair and necessary therapy.”

Under House Bill 2718, health insurance plans would cover the fitting and repair or replacement of a prosthetic device and/or component if determined to be medically necessary by the prescribing physician. Currently, coverage varies among health insurance companies that sometimes evaluate coverage on a case-by-case basis.

In a recent statewide survey, the Amputee Coalition of America found at least eight different companies in Pennsylvania that are restricting or eliminating coverage for prosthetics. The restrictions vary from financial caps of $1,000 or $2,500 to limiting a person’s benefit to one prosthesis per lifetime. Rep. McIlhattan and the primary bill sponsor, Rep. Bernie O’Neill, committed to passing HB 2718 in 2007.

You can also log onto our state parity blog to find breaking news: acaparity.blogspot.com

The ACA recently introduced a brand new online Action Center as part of our advocacy program. We have been working on this organizing tool for many months. We created an interactive space for people interested to find out how to get active in our fight for prosthetic coverage.

The Action Center is designed to help people become more effective advocates.

It includes:

• Up-to-date information about what’s happening in your state and nationwide
• Strategic and easy-to-use online campaign and action alert materials
• Step-by-step organizing tools and information
• Opportunities to share your stories with legislators and other activists

ACA President, Paddy Rossbach accepts a donation at the OPGA party.

The Amputee Coalition of America’s (ACA’s) campaign for prosthetic coverage, benefits practitioners as well as individuals. More and more facilities are recognizing this and stepping up to support the campaign. The Orthotic and Prosthetic Group of America (OPGA) and POINT Health Centers of America recently launched a series of fundraising efforts to support the ACA’s groundbreaking initiative in September.

“The ACA has been very effective in their advocacy for prosthetic coverage. This has a direct benefit on the patients and the practitioners in our network,” says Susi Ebersbach, the Director of Business Development for POINT Health Centers.

OPGA and POINT Health sent a letter to their preferred suppliers and vendors in August asking them to match their pledge. Several companies made commitments to donate to the campaign, including: O&P 1 , oandp.com, Knit-Rite, RSLSteeper and CPO Services.

They then presented the ACA with a gift of $7,000 at the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association’s (AOPA’s) national assembly in Hollywood, Florida.

Throughout the fall, OPGA and POINT Health have reached out to their members to ask them to donate to the ACA’s advocacy efforts as part of a matching gift campaign among their 1,300 facilities. And they are promoting the matching campaign with an exciting incentive. Every facility that contributes will be entered into a drawing for a cruise in January.

They are hoping to raise at least an additional $7,000 through the matching gift efforts. This check will be presented to Paddy Rossbach, the President and CEO of the ACA, at the OPGA and POINT Health preferred vendor cruise in January.

In the past nine months, the ACA has supported coverage efforts in states throughout the country. Three of these states recently passed bills requiring prosthetic coverage: Rhode Island, Massachusetts and California. The ACA provides day-to-day technical assistance, supports states in implementing their grassroots and direct lobbying plans, works to educate and raise awareness among the general public, and coordinates press outreach.

“The ACA is working hard to make sure patients get the coverage they need,” says Paddy Rossbach. “We need the support of practitioners and industry partners to continue to build and enhance our efforts.”

“I hope that all of our facilities will participate in the matching campaign. I would also challenge other companies to raise funds for this important campaign,” said Jim Andreassen, President of OPGA. “The impact and results of these efforts are important to us all.”