[Nfbf-l] Fw: [BVALAG#250] Health Care Proposed Rules Do Not Include Blindness equipment or services

[Paul Kaminsky]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Tom Zampieri
To: bva-lag at googlegroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, May 19, 2009 12:58 PM
Subject: [BVALAG#250] Health Care Proposed 
Rules Do Not Include Blindness equipment or 
services


May 19, 2009



Yesterday Blinded Veterans Association held 
meeting with representatives from some of the 
various blindness organizations inside 
Washington DC to discuss the problems of the 
work that is now going on with regards to new 
health care legislation before the senate. We 
agreed that all membership of the various 
organizations should contact this site and 
also contact there members of the United 
States Senate and ask that they strongly 
consider including changes to allow for 
reimbursement of blind rehabilitative 
services from qualified blind instructors who 
have a degree as either blind instructor or 
Orientation & Mobility instructor. Plus they 
need to ensure that vital medical assistive 
adaptive devices are covered under any future 
government coverage. Those items that are 
essential to for example taking medications, 
and reading devices that allow for following 
instructions from medical providers are 
important. Plus, those devices that allow a 
blind individual to function independently, 
and be employed are critical to improving 
employment levels for the blind in America.



While veterans have access to these 
prosthetics devices for adaptive technology 
have an advantage now, if the proposed health 
care reform legislation does not include this 
for other blind American’s citizens it sets 
bad precedent and we should all work together 
to ensure this is not allowed to go through 
without including these services and 
equipment being covered by insurers.



ALERT Comments to Senate Needed Now on Health 
Care Policy Options for People with Vision 
Loss!

For further information, contact:
Mark Richert
202-822-0833
mrichert at afb.net

The Senate Committee on Finance has issued 
three reports detailing options that are 
being actively considered with respect to 
health care policy. The reports can be found 
online at 
http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/legislation.htm. 
The second of the three reports discusses the 
array of coverage options that could be part 
of any package of health care system reform. 
Noticeably absent from that discussion, among 
other things, is any meaningful consideration 
of the need for prosthetics and durable 
medical equipment such as low vision devices 
or other assistive technology. Similarly, 
vision rehabilitation services reimbursement 
is not on the radar screen.

The Senate Finance Committee is providing the 
public an opportunity to comment on their 
health policy reports, and they must hear 
from our community.

Comment is to be provided to the Senate 
Finance Committee via email 
health_reform at finance-dem.senate.gov by 
attaching a PDF or MS Word file containing 
your comments. Advocates are urged to write a 
brief letter or statement using either of 
these document formats to express reactions 
to the current direction of the health policy 
debate. Your comments can be as short or as 
lengthy as you wish. Wherever possible and 
appropriate, comments should be made using 
organizational electronic letterhead or 
otherwise clearly identify the name and 
address of the author. Comments on the health 
coverage options report are due on or before 
this Friday, May 22. Please consider CCing a 
copy of your comments to Barbara LeMoine 
(blemoine at afb.net). AFB will track the 
comments and use them in future hearings as 
evidence of support.

In addition to any other issues of particular 
interest or concern, advocates are strongly 
encouraged to comment on the following issues 
as follows--

Coverage for Devices: We are deeply 
disappointed that the Senate Finance 
Committee coverage options discussion fails 
to include meaningful treatment of the 
critical role of prosthetics and durable 
medical equipment such as low vision devices 
and other assistive technology. For 
individuals with vision loss, these devices 
and technologies are vital to restore 
functioning and to live safe, healthy and 
independent lives. As health reform 
legislation is developed, public and private 
insurance coverage for prosthetics and 
durable medical equipment such as low vision 
devices and other assistive technology must 
be accounted for.

Vision Rehabilitation: As health reform 
legislation moves forward, payment for the 
services provided by qualified vision 
rehabilitation professionals must be 
addressed. Currently, the team of providers 
offering these services to individuals with 
vision loss is incomplete because orientation 
and mobility specialists, vision 
rehabilitation therapists, and low vision 
therapists are not recognized under current 
law as providers whose services are 
reimbursable in the same way as are other 
professional disciplines.

Health Disparities: The Finance Committee is 
to be commended for recommending that 
disability should be included among the 
categories to be considered when developing 
research and policy evaluating and addressing 
disparities in receipt of health care, 
healthy living, risk factors, and other areas 
impacting the health and well being of all 
Americans. As health reform legislation moves 
forward, research evaluating health 
disparities must be designed to account for 
the needs of all individuals with 
disabilities. Such research must not 
inappropriately comingle individuals with 
vision loss with other disability categories 
to ensure that disparities specifically 
experienced by people with vision loss are 
clearly identified and addressed.

Thank you for your advocacy!

Tom Zampieri

Director Government Relations

Blinded Veterans Association

Washington, DC






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