Prosthetic Parity: State by State

By: Dan Ignaszewski, National Advocacy Specialist

The Amputee Coalition has launched campaigns in state legislatures throughout the country. Fourteen states have passed prosthetic parity legislation ensuring access to a fair, consistent standard of coverage.

We have already had four victories this year. Arkansas, Iowa, Maryland and Virginia have all passed parity legislation. Another 15 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 in order to ensure that amputees get the care they need.

• Bills are still in play in 8 states (CT, ND, TX, MI, MO, AL, TN, IL).
• One session has already adjourned for the year without passing legislation (UT).
• Four states are still working to introduce a bill this year (ID, PA, WI, NC).
• A few bills appear to be stuck and will not move this year (NE, NY, ME). We will reach out to assess our options and build support for next year.
• A number of states are already looking towards 2010 to introduce parity bills (GA, MN, WA, KS).

We are doing everything we can to keep these bills moving. We are also looking at holding a series of organizing meetings this summer to really ramp up support and mobilize activists for the various state campaigns.

We need your help! To find out the latest about your state's parity efforts, visit our Action Center at:
www.amputee-coalition.org/advocacy/your-state.html

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Ignaszewski is the National Advocacy Specialist for the Amputee Coalition of America. He provides day-to-day technical assistance to the individuals and campaign committees working to advance state parity bills. He can be reached at state@amputee-coalition.org or 202/742-1885.