For Immediate Release
Contact: Jerrica Thurman, Director, Communications, jerrica@amputee-coalition.org
(January 28, 2022, Washington, D.C.) The Amputee Coalition fully supports and applauds the efforts of Senators Marsha Blackburn and Tammy Duckworth and Representatives G.K. Butterfield and Brett Guthrie for their continued efforts to assist the limb loss and limb difference community. On January 27, 2022, these bipartisan, bicameral Congressional members and champions for the limb loss and limb difference community penned a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting an evaluation of prosthetic coverage for individuals living with limb loss and limb difference. The letter is a reflection of the deep commitment of Congressional leadership to the limb loss and limb difference community by advancing the goals of the Triple A Study Act, a major legislative priority for the Amputee Coalition, either through the legislative process or through direct action with the GAO.
“This is a significant development to ensure our community has access to the care and technologies needed to live life well with limb loss. Our congressional champions are working tirelessly and creatively to address the needs of our community, and to pursue this dual track method of accomplishing our objective. This approach is possible thanks to the dedication of our grassroots advocates who raised their voices to secure storing bicameral, bipartisan support for the legislation and its goals,” said Mary Richards, president and CEO of the Amputee Coalition.
The letter is to GAO specifically requesting them to examine current barriers to using assistive technologies, to include prosthetic devices, as it applies to health care coverage for individuals in the limb loss and limb difference community. Moreover, it asks GAO to determine how patients using assistive technologies are impacted based upon their use of Medicare, the Department of Veterans Affairs, or private insurers.
The Amputee Coalition is proud to recognize Senators Blackburn and Duckworth and Representatives Butterfield and Guthrie as true champions for our community. Moving forward, we look forward to working with GAO in developing a fuller understanding of the challenges facing the limb loss and limb difference community, and more importantly, creating solutions to positively impact their lives.
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Amputee Coalition: The Leading Voice on Limb Loss and Limb Difference
The Amputee Coalition is the only national nonprofit that serves all individuals who experience limb loss or limb difference. We are dedicated to ensuring that no one faces limb loss alone. Our mission is to reach out and empower people affected by limb loss to achieve their full potential through support, education, advocacy, and prevention. We work to provide vital resources to people with limb loss and limb difference, as well as their families and caregivers. With these resources, they can recover, readjust, and live the life they most want to live. Learn more at www.amputee-coalition.org.