Advocacy Matters - A Quarterly Publication of the Amputee Coalition

Parity activists working hard to make a difference in the lives of people with limb loss.

The Amputee Coalition is grateful to the activists who have not only taken the lead, but also have gone above and beyond to push state parity legislation through and to support our congressional efforts. Our advocacy department is honored to work with such amazing people!

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Amputees and patient advocates in Washington

On Tuesday, March 10, the Amputee Coalition had nearly 200 amputees and patient advocates from 34 states in Washington, D.C. They met with members of Congress to share a simple message: Arms and legs are not a luxury!

Three young girls at Amputee Coalition's Youth Camp The Amputee Coalition recently launched a new site to help spread the word about the need for prosthetic parity legislation at the state and federal level to protect access to care.

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Amputees and patient advocates in Maryland In Virginia, Iowa and Maryland, a bill designed to ensure fair insurance coverage for artificial arms and legs has passed through both legislative houses and now awaits each state's respective Governor's signature. Arkansas' bill was also passed through both legislative houses and was signed into law by Governor Beebe this year, making Arkansas the 12th state to sign prosthetic parity into law.

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Amputees and patient advocates in Washington, D.C. The Amputee Coalition is thrilled to hear about the efforts to see to it that all Americans have access to healthcare. We are concerned that important items like prostheses and assistive devices, which are used by a small portion of the population, will be left out of the discussion. It is important that prosthetic care is not left out, whatever administrative or legislative solutions the administration looks to advance.

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Activists in Washington holding signs to support parity The Amputee Coalition will continue to work with legislators in Washington, D.C., to help move this bill forward. During the congressional recess, the Amputee Coalition is working with our activists to get them involved in setting up in-district meetings with their legislators to gain additional support for the bill.

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Amputees around table having discussion Laws like the Fair Housing Amendments Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Rehabilitation Act are designed to protect people with disabilities from prejudice. Disability bias can also manifest itself in the form of violence. It is imperative that a message be sent to our country that these acts of bias-motivated hatred are not acceptable in our society. The Amputee Coalition is part of a coalition working to advance the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crime Prevention Act (LLEHCPA).

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Otto Bock HealthCare logo The Amputee Coalition is thrilled to announce that Otto Bock HealthCare recently contributed $15,000 to the Amputee Coalition's advocacy efforts.

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Michael Steele, RNC Chairman The Amputee Coalition recently stepped in to respond to a comment by Steele making light of amputees and their struggles.

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Two girls smiling, one is seated in wheelchair Sponsored by Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Representative Gene Green (D-TX), S.700 and H.R.1708 would eliminate the unjustifiable two-year delay in coverage for people with severe disabilities who are waiting to become eligible for Medicare coverage.

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As part of our preparation for the event, we reached out to other national organizations to ask for their support to advance parity legislation that would assure fairness and equity in the insurance benefits of people with limb loss and other complex, disabling conditions. We were thrilled at the response.

A wide range of disability and consumer organizations have now signed on in support of the federal parity bill, including:

Alpha One
American Academy of Neurology Professional Association
American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
American Association on Health and Disability
American Association of People with Disabilities
American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics & Pedorthics
American Diabetes Association
American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association
Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs
Board for Orthotist/Prosthetist Certification
Brain Injury Association of America
Center for Medicare Advocacy
Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
Easter Seals
Long Island Center for Independent Living, Inc
National Association for the Advancement of Orthotics and Prosthetics
National Association of Social Workers
National Commission on Orthotic & Prosthetic Education
National Disability Rights Network
National Spinal Cord Injury Association
Orthotic and Prosthetic Alliance
Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America
Spina Bifida Association
The Arc of the United States
United Cerebral Palsy
United Spinal Association

» Prosthetic and Orthotic Parity Act sign on letter

Amputee man holding sign that says...Access to prosthetics saves money!

We have already had four victories this year. Iowa, Maryland and Virginia have parity bills sitting on the governors' desks waiting to be signed, and Arkansas' governor signed the bill into law there. Another 14 state legislatures are working to advance some type of legislation to expand coverage for prosthetic devices and components. We will continue to work hard to support these efforts to ensure that amputees get the care they need.

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Prosthetic arms

There has been much cause to celebrate in recent months, as we have added four new states - Iowa, Arkansas, Virginia and Maryland - to the number that have passed laws ensuring access to prosthetic care. However, while we are pleased with this progress in our national campaign for prosthetic coverage, as states enact these new laws, questions have been raised about the enforcement of the policies.

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Tami Stanley snow skiing

With the determined work of one of our local activists, Tami Stanley the Utah state legislature introduced a prosthetic parity bill in the House in January. Tami worked tirelessly to educate lawmakers and keep this bill moving. She gave so much of her own time and of herself for the parity campaign. She is proof that one person can truly make a difference.

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Since 1997, the Amputee Coalition has had a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop and manage the National Limb Loss Information Center (NLLIC). The NLLIC has proven to be a successful tool in helping to educate and empower people with limb loss in order to help them not only survive amputation, but also to thrive as they work to reach their full potential at school, at church, at home and at work. In order to continue to expand public health activities on behalf of people with limb loss, the NLLIC intends to establish a limb loss registry.

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*This page is funded by the Amputee Coalition and is 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 Amputee Coalition.