Prosthetic Parity Bill Introduced

The Amputee Coalition of America (ACA) announced today that a bill creating the Prosthetic Parity Act--HR 5615--has been introduced in the House of Representatives. The bill would provide parity under group health plans and group health insurance coverage in the provision of benefits for prosthetic devices and components and benefits for other medical and surgical services.

"The introduction in the House of Representatives of the Prosthetic Parity Act is a tremendously positive development," said Paddy Rossbach, president and CEO of the ACA. "Many of the two million amputees in the [United States] are deprived of meaningful coverage for prosthetic care by their health insurers, which potentially places a greater burden on society. This proposed legislation would require health insurers to cover prosthetic care on par with their coverage of other essential medical care."

The bill was authored by Representative Robert Andrews (D-NJ), with Representatives George Miller (D-CA), Todd Platts (R-PA), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), and Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL) signing on as original co-sponsors. Rep. Andrews chairs the Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee, and Rep. Miller chairs the Education & Labor Committee while also serving on the Natural Resources Committee.

According to a recent poll by the Amputee Coalition, among respondents with private health insurance, 24 percent had experienced a reduction in prosthetic coverage over the past three years. Four percent had their coverage eliminated entirely.

"When individuals discover that prosthetic care is not covered by their health insurer, or it is extremely limited, they may have to resort to using retirement funds or children's college savings to purchase the prosthesis they need," Rossbach said. "Some individuals in this situation have even taken mortgages out on their homes to get the prosthesis they need."

There are an estimated two million individuals living with limb differences or loss in the United States, including 70,000 under the age of 18.