ACA Announces New Volunteer Program for 2006/2007

Thank you for your continued support of the Amputee Coalition of America (ACA). We would not be able to reach out to people with limb loss and empower them through education, support and advocacy without your time and effort.

Volunteer Night (October 11) at ACA’s Washington, D.C., office
(Photo by Margaret Westley)
Volunteers and staff helped raise over $5,000 in one night and still managed to have some fun! Pictured are Donna Walton, Karl Dorman, Jeremiah Pérez (ACA Staff), Daniel Longo and Harry Freedman.

The Amputee Coalition of America’s Washington, D.C., office has launched a new and exciting volunteer program through which ACA members, healthcare providers, coalition partners, family members, friends and anyone interested in volunteering can offer a couple of hours of their time to help the Action Plan for People with Limb Loss (APPLL).

Our goal is to make prosthetic coverage a reality across the United States. One of the most important elements of organizing for success is the demonstrated support of individuals who will benefit from and support this important legislation.

Lending an Arm and a Leg. There are two types of power in the world: money and people. The ACA will never have the financial resources of the insurance companies, but we will always have access to the second form of power: people.

A Fresh Start for 2007. As the dust settles on Capitol Hill after the mid-term election and our representatives gear up for the 110th Congress to convene in January 2007, we will be offering monthly volunteer nights the third Wednesday of each month (be sure to mark your calendars now!). The new volunteer program will enable us to reach our goals and provide additional resources to the 13 states that are poised to introduce prosthetic coverage legislation in 2007.

Taking Action and Making Change. We cannot do this alone! Every person and voice counts. Get involved and make a difference in the lives of millions.

Before the New Year arrives, we need your help now! From Monday, November 27, through Friday, December 15, we will have drop-in hours Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

What will volunteers be doing?

Nothing we would not do ourselves!

• Phone Drive. Calling orthotic and prosthetic facilities to follow up on a recent fundraising mailing. There is no cold calling. Our partners are usually thrilled to hear from us. In fact, during the last phone drive, volunteers helped the ACA raise over $5,000!

• Calling Activists. We need to contact activists/members across the country to ensure that we have their proper contact information. Remember, this is NOT cold calling. These are individuals who have offered to help with the campaign and want to get involved.

I can only come in for one hour. Is that okay?

Yes! We need all the help we can get!

Can I drop by after work? And will you provide food and drinks?

Yes! We will work with your schedule and yes we will provide food and drinks regardless if you come during lunch or dinner time.

WHAT: Volunteer Drop-In Hours
DATE: Monday, November 27, through Friday, December 15
TIME: Anytime Monday through Friday between 10:00 a.m. and 8:30 p.m.
WHERE: 1436 U Street, NW, Suite #104, Washington, D.C., between 14th and 15th Street.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: The closest Metro is U Street/African-American Civil War Memorial/Cardozo (Green Line). The Metro is about three long blocks to the office. The office can also be reached by several bus lines, including 52, 53, 54, 90, 92, 93, 96, 98, S1, S2 and S4.

PARKING: Reeves Center Garage. The entrance is behind the Reeves Center on U Street, just west of 14th Street across the street from Storage USA. The flat rate is $7, or metered parking is available on the street.

R.S.V.P.: Please, R.S.V.P. to Jeremiah at 202/742-1885 or jperez@amputee-coalition.org

Take Action and Make Change! Thank you for your continued support!

P.S.

Virginia Residents: A group of patients and activists are working to launch a prosthetic coverage bill in Virginia. The ACA has been working with a committee of activists since the summer of 2006. We could use your help! See below for details.

Maryland Residents: Currently Maryland does not have a campaign committee advancing prosthetic coverage legislation. The ACA has a whole range of resources and materials to help individuals and groups who are interested in working to push for prosthetic coverage.

If you are would like to find out more about pushing for a bill in your state, contact us at appll@amputee-coalition.org or 202-742-1885.

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New York Support Group Rasises Awareness for Prosthetic Coverage!

The DailyFreeman.com

"They are CHAMPS"

Sheyla Van Duzer, left, and Anita Pierce. (Tania Barricklo photo)

By BLAISE SCHWEITZER, Freeman staff
11/12/2006

As veterans of recent wars return home with artificial limbs - and new support groups advocate for those without hands, feet, arms and legs - amputees in America have cast off their invisibility.

They're mad as hell, and they're not going to accept denial of coverage from insurance companies any more, said Janice Wilson of Pleasant Valley. They won't shroud their prosthetics from public view or hide behind euphemisms like having "lost" their body parts to disease or bad luck.

"I know exactly where it is," said Wilson, who chose to have her malformed left leg amputated in 1970 so she could be fitted with a prosthetic. She is a founding member of the 4-month-old advocacy group Central Hudson Amputees Providing Support.

Wilson's day job, with Clinical Prosthetics & Orthotics of Kingston, Hudson and Poughkeepsie, pits her against many of the insurance companies that continually deny claims from those who need computerized legs and/or arms in order to walk, hold jobs and rear their families.

"That's what I do all day," Wilson said, explaining how she becomes a "green
10-foot ogre" when trying to get her clients the help they need from
recalcitrant insurance companies.

It is difficult to get a true measurement of Wilson, who was born with the fibula bone and muscle missing from her lower left leg. Laughing, she said she is 5-feet 2-inches tall when equipped with her mechanical leg.

Last month's meeting of CHAMPS included two women who lost limbs to alcohol-related boat-ing and automobile collisions, a man who was struck by a car while riding his motorcycle in Rosendale, and two men with diabetes.

It was Sheyla Van Duzer of Woodstock who came up with the CHAMPS acronym. Her left leg was amputated after a 1979 car accident involving alcohol. She chose not to press charges.

Van Duzer's right leg was damaged so badly doctors nearly amputated it as well. They changed their minds and saved enough so that she can now walk fairly comfortably, although with a slight limp.

Members of CHAMPS also includes family members of amputees and a technician from a business that competes with Wilson's. Wilson and Erik Tompkins, a certified prosthetist and orthotist with the Kingston office of M&M Prosthetic Associates, said they both try to avoid even the appearance they might use the group to recruit customers.

Tompkins, who also helped form a similar Pough-keepsie support group for amputees, said scheduling the meetings separate from hospitals or prosthetic-fitting businesses helps keep the atmosphere pure.

The field of prosthetics and care for those with am-putated limbs is changing fast.

Anita Pierce of Kingston, a newcomer to the group, said there is no question civilians with amputated limbs have recently benefitted from advances made in supporting am-putees because of the attention given servicemen and women returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. The computerized leg she uses had been dismissed as "experimental" by insurance companies, but that has changed.

As hundreds of soldiers returning from war have been fitted with C-legs - computerized, battery-powered prosthetic legs - the devices have finally begun to be approved for reimbursement, she said. They are also improving technologically.

Wilson has seen a lot of improvements from her vantage point as well. Her favorite recent victory over a recalcitrant insurance company came when she was able to get approval for a client to get a Rheo knee, similar to Pierce's C-leg.

Pierce applauded the care that veterans are receiving and said she and others in CHAMPS would like to give amputee-to-amputee support to veterans to improve that care.

Fair is fair, though, and Van Duzer said every-day Americans should also get competent care.

"We just want to be equal," she said.

Members of the group have been writing letters to promote legislation that further that aim. Since 2003 New York legislators have been considering a law that would mandate health maintenance organizations supply amputee-related services and devices at the baseline set under Medicare rules. That coverage is still spotty, Wilson said, listing shortcomings in reimbursement for items that wear out. Still, it would be a step up for many.

During the October meeting of CHAMPS, Tompkins encouraged the members of the group to find creative ways to get the attention of their state legislators.

"It never even gets through the insurance committee because there's not enough public support behind it," he said.

After that meeting, Van Duzer got a commitment from Assemblyman Kevin Cahill, D-Kingston, to attend the November meeting of CHAMPS.

In a separate interview, Tompkins said it can be heartbreaking to talk with patients who are overwhelmed by the bills, and he recalled one in particular.

"She was crying. She said she hates coming to my office because we have to ask her for payment and she doesn't have any money to pay," he said.

Payment waivers are sometimes granted, Tompkins said, but that comes right out of his company's bottom line, making it difficult for the office to gear up for the next generation of technology.

No one knows how many amputees there are in the United States and that is partly because of the lack of support for them, he said. "There's probably a lot more out there, they just don't come through your doors because they don't have coverage to begin with."

In between expressions of frustration, during the last CHAMPS meeting, good and bad jokes bubbled up.

Hal Grunenwald of Kingston broke up the group with an anecdote about a cashier who tried to comment on the high price of gas with an unlucky joke.

After the cashier told him his tankful of gas would cost "an arm and a leg" she paled to see Grunenwald flip his prosthetic leg onto the counter as (joke) payment. "The arms stay with me," he told her.

Although he is diabetic, it was super-bug stenotrophomonas maltophilia contracted while he was in a hospital that is most responsible for taking his lower right leg, he said. He picked up the disease while in the hospital and when doctors found his foot then his lower leg increasingly wasted, they gave him a simple choice.

They told him, "It's your leg or your life," he said. "It was an easy choice to make, but not to live with."

Member Barbara Graff of Kingston is what some members of the group call a "TAP," short for Temporarily Able Bodied.

She has been attending meetings with her husband, Gary Myers, since Grunenwald first met with Myers several months ago to help fill him in about life after amputation.

Myer's left leg had to be amputated after an April 13 motorcycle-car collision in Rosendale. Graff was with her husband on the motorcycle, but while the car hit Myer's lower body, Graff was thrown clear and was virtually unscathed.

A social worker by day, Graff has been amazed by the failure of hospitals and social service agencies to properly assist those with amputations, she said. Very little guidance was provided as Myers left the hospital.

Graff can't understand why society hasn't figured out that the expense of proper prosthetic coverage for amputation survivors would be eclipsed by benefit of enabling the survivors to walk freely and get jobs.

"It seems like a no-brainer," she said.

Anita Pierce and Van Duzer were happy to show off the capabilities of their C-legs last week. When Pierce was issued a prosthetic, after a 1977 drunken-boating incident severed her left leg, she was told to try to make it as invisible as possible and to fit in.

Now, Pierce wears her leg with pride and jokes about putting fake goldfish behind the leg's clear plastic covering. She takes off the leg when rock climbing, but keeps it on while sailing. Her next step in improved mobility, she said, is running.

Before leaving the more than 2-hour CHAMPS meeting, members of the group shared stories about using everything from duct tape to colostomy supplies to olive oil to fix their prostheses or soothe their sore stumps. They gave advice about climbing back afoot after falls.

Wilson and Van Duzer laughed as they talked about challenging doctors and prosthetists. They said patients must be assertive to get what they want.

Wilson recalled a day when a doctor, confronted with angry sores at the end of her amputated leg, shrugged off her pain. She said mere exposure to the air of the emergency room made her wince.

"I'm stumped," said the doctor, making chuckling sounds.

Wilson said she very nearly picked up her prosthetic leg and brained the man.

As a girl, she resented the children who teased her for being "the girl with the wooden leg."

Even when supine, Wilson does not take the abuse lying down. "I would take my leg off and beat them to a pulp," she said. "Literally."

She has since refined her tactics, she said. "I play well with others."

The Central Hudson Amputees Providing Support group meets the last Monday of each month at the Resource Center for Accessible Living office at 602 Albany Ave. in Kingston. For more information about CHAMPS call (845) 331-0541 or send an e-mail to sheylavanduzer@yahoo.com. A similar group for Dutchess-area residents called Amputees of the Mid-Hudson-Region Providing Support meets at the second Thursday of each month at the Taconic Resources for Independence office at 82 Washington Street in Poughkeepsie. For more information about the Poughkeepsie group call (845) 452-3913.

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ACA's First Annual Holiday Party!

You are invited…

The Amputee Coalition of America (ACA) would like to cordially invite you to our first Annual Holiday Party!

With help from the ACA, its members, and coalition partners, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and California all passed prosthetic coverage bills in 2006. They have joined Colorado, Maine and New Hampshire in protecting access to prosthetic coverage under the law.

Come to hear an update on the nationwide prosthetic coverage campaign, meet other people and have some healthy eats from Chicken Out Rotisserie!

WHAT: First Annual ACA Holiday Party!
DATE: Wednesday, December 20
TIME: 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
WHERE: 1436 U Street, NW, Suite #104 Washington, D.C., between 14th and 15th Street.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: The closest Metro is U Street/African-American Civil War Memorial/Cardozo (Green Line). The Metro is about three long blocks to the office. The office can also be reached by several bus lines, including 52, 53, 54, 90, 92, 93, 96, 98, S1, S2 and S4.

PARKING: Reeves Center Garage. The entrance is behind the Reeves Center on U Street, just west of 14th Street across the street from Storage USA. The flat rate is $7, or metered parking is available on the street.

RSVP: Please RSVP by Wednesday, December 13 to Jeremiah at 202/742-1885 or jperez@amputee-coalition.org

We hope to see you there…

Happy Holidays!

* The ACA wishes to thank Chicken Out Rotisserie, our sponsors who will be catering the event. www.chickenout.com

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OPGA and POINT Health Launch Fundraising Initiative

OPGA and POINT Health Launch Fundraising Initiative
O&P Business News, November 2006

Jennifer Hoydicz, Staff Writer

The Action Plan for People with Limb Loss (APPLL), an advocacy campaign for prosthetic coverage sponsored by the Amputee Coalition of America (ACA), benefits individuals as well as practitioners.

More facilities are recognizing this and stepping up to support the campaign.

The Orthotic and Prosthetic Group of America (OPGA) and POINT Health Centers of America started a series of fundraising initiatives to support the ACA's groundbreaking initiative.

''The ACA has been effective in their advocacy for prosthetic cov¬erage. This has a direct benefit on the patients and the practitioners in our network," said Susi Ebersbach, director of business development for POINT Health Centers.

Launching the Campaign
OPGA and POINT Health officially launched their fund raising efforts at the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association's National Assem¬bly in Hollywood, Fla. with a gift of $7,000. This gift was presented onSept. 27 at OPGA's party at the meeting.

OPGA and POINT Health sent a letter to their preferred suppliers and vendors in August asking them to match their pledge of $7,000. O&P1, oandp.com, Knit Rite, RSL Steeper and Liberating Technologies donated to the campaign and were acknowledged at the same event. John Michael, MEd, CPO/LPO, FAAOP, FISPO, president of CPO Services pledged $5,000, which is, "the kind
of generosity needed to keep this program funded," Ebersbach said.

Michael told O&P Busi¬ness News, that "caring practitioners and educated consumers have the same goal: optimal rehabilitation. OPGA's decision to sup¬port the APPLL initiative reflects thousands of inde¬pendent practitioner members' dedication to achieving this outcome.
I was proud to join with POINT and OPGA by making a substantial donation in support of the ACA's efforts."

In addition to the pledges from suppliers, another $750 was raised through donations during the distribution of the Limbstrong wristbands during the OPGA party.

Prizes and More
OPGA and POINT Health also asked their members to donate to the ACA's advocacy efforts. Every facility that contributed to the campaign was entered into a drawing for a cruise in January. They hope to raise at least an additional $7,000 through these efforts. This check will be presented to Paddy Rossbach, president and chief executive officer of the ACA at the OPGA and POINT Health preferred vendor cruise in January.

Throughout the year, the ACA has supported coverage efforts in various states across the country. Three of these states recently passed bills requiring prosthetic coverage for its citizens - Rhode Island, Massachusetts and most recently California. "The announcement that parity just went into effect in the most populous state in the union, California, means that 10% more of U.S. citizenry are assured access to quality prosthetic coverage," Michael added. "Obtaining prosthetic parity in all 50 states is the single most important political initia¬tive to protect amputees' access to quality prosthetic care that I have seen in my 30-plus years in the profession."

The ACA provides day-to-day technical assistance, assists states in implementing their grassroots and direct lobbying plans, works to edu¬cate and raise awareness among the general public and coordinate press outreach.

"The ACA is working hard to make sure patients get the coverage they need. We need the support of practi¬tioners and industry partners to continue to build and enhance our efforts," Rossbach said. "I hope that all of our facilities will participate in the matching campaign. I would also challenge other companies to raise funds to this importantcampaign," said Jim Andreassen, president of OPGA. "The impact and results of these efforts are important to us all."

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Massachusetts, California Ensure Coverage

Massachusetts, California Ensure Coverage
The O&P Edge, November 2006

By Morgan Sheets

On September 7, Massachusetts became the fifth state to ensure comprehensive coverage for prosthetic care under the law. After years of hard work by groups like the Massachusetts Society of Orthotists and Prosthetists and with support from the Amputee Coalition of America (ACA), Governor Romney signed H5256 into law. H5256 mandates that insurance plans provide coverage for prosthetics that equals the coverage provided for such devices under the Federal Medicare laws.

Just a few weeks later, California became the sixth state to protect prosthetic coverage under the law. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed AB2012 on September 30. The new law mandates that insurance plans offering benefits for orthotic and prosthetic care must provide full coverage—without caps and co-pays that restrict access to prescribed devices. The new bill will make certain that insured, working people can continue working and supporting their families.

The California law also mandates that O&P providers will have met a standard level of competency to fit and furnish devices and services by being nationally certified.

The ACA's Action Plan for People with Limb Loss (APPLL) has made tremendous progress in the past few months. Pennsylvania's coverage bill, HB2178, was heard by the House Health & Human Services committee on October 19. Activists from all over the state were expected to be in attendance with a slate of supporters scheduled to testify. We also are still awaiting an Assembly floor vote in New Jersey.

The ACA continues to hear from activists every month looking to start coverage efforts in their states. Recent inquiries have come from Oklahoma, North Carolina, and Indiana.

The ACA also will officially launch our brand new state organizing kit and our cutting-edge online action center this month.

With continued and increased support from consumers, practitioners, other individuals and organizations, and manufacturers, we will continue to build the momentum around prosthetic coverage!

Morgan Sheets is the national advocacy director for ACAs APPLL initiative. She can be reached at APPLL@amputee-coalition.org

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Massachusetts and California Pass Prosthetic Parity Legislation

Massachusetts and California Pass Prosthetic Parity Legislation
O&P Business News, Association News
November 1, 2006

Massachusetts became the fifth state to ensure comprehensive coverage for prosthetic care under the law. After years of hard work by groups like the Massachusetts Society of Orthotists and Prosthetists, and with support from the Amputee Coalition of America (ACA), Gov. Mitt Romney signed H5256 into law on Sept. 7. H5256 mandates that insurance plans provide coverage for prosthetics that equals the coverage provided for such devices under the federal Medicare laws.


“This will ensure that the tragedy of a child losing a limb is not compounded by forcing that child to spend the rest of their childhood in a wheelchair when help is readily available,” said Morgan Sheets, advocacy director for the ACA.

Presenting a strong case for coverage
Both the financial and social benefits provide a strong case for prosthetic coverage. A report published by Compass Health Analytics for the Division of Health Care Finance and Policy for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts found that the increase in premiums for prosthetic provision would be about 27 cents per month, less than $3.50 per year. In return, the public sector will see a cost savings because appropriate private insurance coverage prevents cost shifting to the public sector.

Cost savings also can be expected in unemployment insurance, state employment and training programs, rehabilitation and counseling programs and other social welfare systems. It is estimated that every dollar spent on rehabilitation, including prosthetic care, saves more than $11 in disability benefits.

Non-fiscal benefits of coverage
There are non-fiscal benefits to providing prosthetic care as well, Sheets said in a press release. They include a reduction in the secondary conditions caused by a sedentary lifestyle, decreased dependence on caretakers and reduced chance of diabetic-related complications leading to additional limb amputation.

“We applaud Gov. Romney for giving people the care they need to live independent, productive lives,” said Paddy Rossbach, president and chief executive officer of the ACA.

California quickly follows suit
On Sept. 30, California became the sixth state to protect prosthetic coverage under the law. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed AB 2012, a bill that mandates that insurance plans offering benefits for orthotic and prosthetic care must provide full coverage — without caps and copays that restrict access to prescribed devices. The bill will make certain that insured, working people can continue working and supporting their families.

“Currently, when health plans and insurers offer orthotic and prosthetic coverage, they may offer coverage that in reality provides only a small portion of the total costs of a prosthetic limb,” Schwarzenegger said in a press release. “For instance, a health plan may only cover $2,000 of the cost of a prosthetic arm, leaving the patient to pay the remaining cost, which could be $10,000 or higher.”

Mandate O&P provider competency
The bill also mandates that O&P providers will have met a standard level of competency to fit and furnish devices and services by being nationally certified. The bill was sponsored by the California Orthotics and Prosthetics Association and supported by the ACA and its members.

The ACA is part of a national campaign to advance legislation state-by-state requiring insurance companies to cover appropriate prosthetic care.

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OPGA, POINT Launch Prosthetic Parity Fundraising Initiative

OPGA, POINT Launch Prosthetic Parity Fundraising Initiative
The O&P Edge, October 12, 2006

The Orthotic and Prosthetic Group of America (OPGA) and POINT Health Centers of America have recently launched a series of fundraising initiatives to support the Action Plan for People with Limb Loss (APPLL), the Amputee Coalition of America (ACA) campaign for prosthetic coverage.

"The Action Plan for People with Limb Loss benefits individuals as well as practitioners," said Morgan Sheets, APPLL national campaign director. "More and more facilities are recognizing this and stepping up to support the campaign." The ACA has been very effective in their advocacy for prosthetic coverage," said Susi Ebersbach, director of business development for POINT Health Centers. "This has a direct benefit on the patients and the practitioners in our network."

OPGA and POINT Health launched their fundraising efforts during the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association (AOPA) National Assembly September 27-30 in Hollywood, Florida, with a gift of $7,000. This gift was presented at OPGA's party on Thursday, September 27, at the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa, but this partnership started much earlier, Sheets noted. "OPGA and POINT Health sent a letter to their preferred suppliers and vendors in August asking them to match their pledge of $7,000. Several companies made commitments to donate to the campaign, including O&P1, oandp.com, Knit Rite, RSL Steeper, and CPO Services."

Sheets continued, "OPGA and POINT Health are now asking their members to step up and donate to the ACA's advocacy efforts. The party at AOPA's Assembly was the kickofffor a matching gift campaign among their 1,300 member facilities. And they are offering an incentive. Every facility that contributes to the campaign will be entered into a drawing for a cruise in January.

"They are hoping to raise at least an additional $7,000 through the matching gift efforts," Sheets added. This check will be presented to ACA President and CEO Paddy Rossbach, RN, at the OPGA and POINT Health preferred vendor cruise in January.

In the past nine months, the ACA has supported coverage efforts in states throughout the country. Three of these states recently passed bills requiring prosthetic coverage: Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and California. They join Colorado, Maine, and New Hampshire.

"The ACA provides day-to-day technical assistance, assists states in implementing their grassroots and direct lobbying plans, works to educate and raise awareness among the general public, and coordinates press outreach," Sheets explained.

"The ACA is working hard to make sure patients get the coverage they need," said Rossbach. "We need the support of practitioners and industry partners to continue to build and enhance our efforts."

"I hope that all of our facilities will participate in the matching campaign. I would also challenge other companies to raise funds to this important campaign," said OPGA President Jim Andreassen. "The impact and results of these efforts are important to us all."

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Hanger Supports Prosthetic Parity

Hanger Supports Prosthetic Parity
The O&P Edge, Noveber 2006

By Miki Fairley

Hanger Orthopedic Group is one of the partners supporting the Amputee Coalition of America (ACA) Action Plan for People with Limb Loss (APPLL).

Hanger's chief medical officer, John J. Rush, MD, spearheads Hanger's advocacy efforts for prosthetic parity legislation.

The ACA defines prosthetic parity as: "insurance companies covering appropriate prosthetic care."

Legislation has been passed in six states: Colorado, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and California. Rush said that about 20 additional states have some form of prosthetic parity efforts underway.

"We encourage Hanger employees and patient advocates to attend hearings and to call upon their legislators and state governors to pass and sign these bills into law," Rush said. "Parity legislation is very simple. The legislation defines a prosthesis as anything that replaces a whole or a part of an arm or leg' and requires this to be covered by insurance companies. Bills include provisions that these companies shall not impose any annual or lifetime dollar maximums. Insurance companies can require a reasonable co-pay up to 20 percent, or up to 40 percent if the insured individual goes out of the insurer's provider network. Insurance companies can also require prior authorization." Rush added, "We believe this legislation is very good for the amputee community, including our patients."

Question from The O&P EDGE: Some people have criticized parity legislation for not requiring provider qualifications. Others have pointed out that these are two separate issues and would only serve to confuse legislators. What is your thinking on this?

Answer: "We have encouraged people not to confuse the issue of parity with the issue of licensure. Every time you introduce something new into legislation, it just complicates the bill, opens that bill up to more attacks from other sides, and lessens your chances of getting it passed."

Licensure
However, Hanger does support licensure, Rush said.

Regarding licensure, Hanger Chairman and CEO Ivan R. Sabel, CPO, added a caveat: "As a certified practitioner and former president of ABC, I can tell you that I believe in licensure when it is being used as it was intended: as a quality assurance standard for patients. But when licensure is used to keep competition out of a particular state, that's not healthy for our profession. Unfortunately, there have been a couple of cases where licensure bureaus, or in some cases, the legislation itself, have been designed as a sort of turf protection as opposed to a validation of competency. I support licensure when the intent is for patient protection."

For more information about the ACA, APPLL and other partnering companies, click here.

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