Amputee Coalition of America Calls for Elimination of Two-Year Waiting Period for Medicare Benefits for People With Disabilities

Amputee Coalition of America

 

The Amputee Coalition of America, the nation's leading advocacy organization working on behalf of people with limb loss, is joining forces with more than 65 health advocacy organizations calling for elimination of the 24-month waiting period for Medicare benefits for people under 65 with disabilities.

“We are joining the Coalition to End the Two-Year Wait for Medicare to help give voice to people with disabilities and their families who struggle to pay medical bills and keep their households above water while waiting two years for their Medicare coverage to begin as required by law,” said Kendra Calhoun, president and CEO of the Amputee Coalition of America.

“By banding together, we make our voices louder and impossible to ignore. This senseless delay in Medicare health coverage for the most vulnerable among us must end,” added Robert M. Hayes, president of the Medicare Rights Center.

When the Medicare program was expanded in 1972 to cover individuals with disabilities, a two-year waiting period was implemented to control costs and ensure that only those with severe and long-term disabilities would qualify for the program. Unlike older Americans who typically enroll and become eligible for Medicare coverage immediately when they turn 65, younger people with disabilities, including amputees, must wait two years for their Medicare disability coverage to take effect.

“This two-year Medicare waiting period places an unnecessary and unfair burden on amputees who need access to their disability benefits to remain healthy, productive and independent,” said Calhoun. “Unfortunately the two-year Medicare waiting period forces many amputees to put off needed care.”

There are approximately 1.8 million amputees in the United States, according to the Amputee Coalition.

Amputees who are prevented from accessing replacement or repairs for their prostheses due to the costs will often continue to wear a broken or ill-fitting device. This can lead to abrasions, sores and breakdown, as well as knee and hip injuries related to overcompensating. Another option is to utilize crutches, whose overuse can cause wrist, elbow and shoulder problems.

“Without a properly fitted device, amputees may reduce or eliminate their ambulation, forcing them to become sedentary. This can result in increased vascular issues and diabetes complications, osteoporosis, muscle loss, and depression, along with costs associated with nursing home and/or home care,” warned Amputee Coalition CEO Calhoun.

The Coalition to End the Two-Year Wait for Medicare recently sent a letter to Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee calling for health coverage for people with disabilities to be at the forefront of efforts to cover the uninsured during the 111th Congress.

Legislation to phase out the waiting period over 10 years has been introduced in the House and Senate. In the Senate, S. 2102 is sponsored by Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), and cosponsored by 23 senators, including president-elect Barack Obama. In the House, H.R. 154, sponsored by Representative Gene Green (D-TX), has 103 cosponsors.

“As Congress and our new administration begin to address America's health care crisis, they must place a high priority on closing the gap in coverage that affects a group of Americans most in need of guaranteed access to health care—people with severe disabilities who are forced to wait two years to become eligible for Medicare coverage,” said Calhoun.

The Amputee Coalition of America (ACA) is involved in many exciting advocacy initiatives at both the state and federal level. To learn more about our Congressional efforts, contact the ACA at federal@amputee-coalition.org or 202/742-1886. For more information about our work to shape policies at the state level, we can be reached at state@amputee-coalition.org or 202/742-1885.