New States Join the Fight for Prosthetic Parity
By Morgan Sheets 
The Amputee Coalition of America (ACA) is pleased to have two new state partners in its national campaign to advance parity legislation. Missouri and
Indiana are both working to build committees in order to introduce bills in 2008.
A group of prosthetists worked with the ACA to convene a meeting in Missouri in February to discuss initiating a campaign and are in the process of forming a campaign committee.
Sen. John Griesheimer (R-MO) has introduced a bill in Missouri that would require coverage for computerized prosthetic devices. While this is a great start, the new campaign committee is urging him to push for comprehensive coverage in order to meet the needs of a larger group of amputees and protect access to repairs and replacements.
Allen Dolberry, CPO, and Kevin Hagemeier, CPO, approached the ACA last fall to discuss launching a campaign in Indiana. They held their first meeting in March and are now working to identify a sponsor. They already have a strong group of supporters. The group has a series of organizing events planned over the summer to build support and identify allies.
There is also exciting news for the 2007 bills.
Iowa's
Assembly bill, House File 185, was heard by the Commerce Subcommittee. SSB 1076, the Senate version, is also being considered in subcommittee.
Oregon's
bill was heard by the House Health Care Committee on Valentine's Day. The campaign committee also secured an endorsement from the Oregon Medical Association. They recently sat down with Blue Cross Blue Shield and a panel of insurance industry lobbyists to negotiate. This is a testament to the strength of Oregon's campaign!
Pennsylvania
is also ramping things up as it finalizes plans for its upcoming rally at the capitol in Harrisburg. New York is also holding an event in Albany. We are looking forward to the opportunity to share people's stories and hammer home the need for prosthetic coverage legislation.
It is a very busy time of year for the national campaign, as bills continue to move and new states continue to pop up.
Morgan Sheets is the national advocacy director for ACA's Action Plan for People with Limb Loss (APPLL) initiative. She can be reached at
APPLL@amputee-coalition.org
. For more information, go to
www.amputee-coalition.org/advocacy/index.html 
Table Of Contents - April 2007
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