[Nfbf-l] Fw: [BVALAG#250] Health Care Proposed Rules Do Not Include Blindness equipment or services
Paul Kaminsky
pkaminsky at bellsouth.net
Thu May 21 22:19:13 UTC 2009
----- 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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