Currently, due to archaic insurance regulations, prosthetic care is being put out of reach for many amputees. Insurance plans are restricting or even eliminating coverage for prostheses. This is a matter that Congress is addressing with House Resolution 5615 – The Prosthetic Parity Act. Increasingly we’ve seen health insurers drastically limit coverage for prosthetic care by imposing unrealistically low dollar caps and restrictions, even limiting coverage to one prosthesis “per lifetime”.
Obviously, the biggest concern anybody has about passing a new mandate is cost. A Department of Health Care Policy & Financing report found the maximum increase in premiums for prosthetic provision would be about 12 cents per month. That is less than $1.50 per year. That is not going to push anyone off the insurance rolls or put anyone out of business. It will, however, get people the care they need to get back to work and live independent, productive lives.
Thousands who face the trauma of limb loss also face an additional shock when they discover that their insurance company will not pay for the prosthetic limb; that they will not be able have the prosthesis needed to attend school, return to work and lead independent, productive lives. |
The federal Prosthetic Parity Bill was introduced in March 13, 2008.
According to a recent poll by the Amputee Coalition of America, over the past three years among respondents with private health insurance 
If amputees are prevented from accessing prosthetic care, this increases state Medicaid costs due to complications. The subsequent cost to the health care system far exceeds that of providing prosthetic care, while the lack of productivity places a huge burden on society. House Resolution 5615 – The Prosthetic Parity Act would ensure that prostheses are treated the same as other basic, essential care.
