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Members of Congress Receive Legislative Awards From National Amputee Organizations

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- The Amputee Coalition of America and the
American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association today announced that Senators Tom
Harkin and Olympia J. Snowe and Representatives Robert E. Andrews, George
Miller, and Lincoln Diaz-Balart are recipients of their joint organizations'
2009 Legislative Appreciation Awards.

The awards are being presented today at a mini-Hill Day event, with more than
40 amputees and advocates from around the country also visiting Capitol Hill
to make specific recommendations to Congress for the inclusion of prosthetic
arms and legs in the national healthcare reform legislation.

"For their commitment, dedication and service to ensuring quality healthcare
for amputees and their effort to make certain that fair insurance coverage is
available for prosthetic arms and legs, we are proud to present these awards
as a token of our appreciation to these members of Congress," said Kendra
Calhoun, Amputee Coalition president and CEO. Calhoun emphasized that
healthcare for amputees needs fair consideration in any healthcare reform
proposal. "Amputees are no longer a hidden part of our society, and they need
to be heard in the healthcare debate. This is the message they will carry to
Capitol Hill today."

The Amputee Coalition and other disability groups have heralded the inclusion
in the healthcare reform bills of guaranteed issue and renewal of coverage in
the individual and small group markets, the prohibition of pre-existing health
condition exclusions, and the end of annual and lifetime insurance caps, with
a limit on out-of-pocket spending. According to Calhoun, amputees also want a
guarantee that they will have fair access to arms and legs.

In May, Rep. Robert E. Andrews introduced the "Prosthetic and Custom Orthotic
Parity Act of 2009" (H.R. 2575), which would require employer-paid health
plans to provide coverage for prosthetic and custom-fabricated orthotic
devices on par with the coverage offered for other medical and surgical
services. Sens. Harkin and Snowe co-sponsored a similar prosthetic parity bill
in the Senate in 2008 and are working on introducing a new one this year.
Reps. Miller and Diaz-Balart also signed onto the House bill as lead sponsors.

"At a time when healthcare costs are rising by about 7 percent annually, the
financial hardship on those in need of prosthetic devices is devastating,"
said Rep. Andrews. "Yet, by expanding coverage for prosthetic devices so that
it is on par with other types of essential care, not only will amputees
receive necessary treatment and experience better quality of life, but the
healthcare industry as a whole will save money. Since prosthetics often
dramatically decrease secondary health problems for those in need, the
benefits of this coverage far outweigh the costs in the long run."

Though 17 states have passed similar prosthetic parity laws, amputee advocates
still say that there needs to be a national law.

"These state laws have helped many people," said Tom Fise, American Orthotic
and Prosthetic Association executive director, "but they are not enough.
Without a federal law, there will always be amputees who fall through the
cracks."

The awards ceremony for House members will be held at 9 a.m. today in the
Rayburn House Office Building (Room B-318). The ceremony for Senate members
will be held at noon in the Capitol Visitor Center (Room SVC 214).

About the Amputee Coalition of America
The Amputee Coalition is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is
"to reach out to and empower people affected by limb loss to achieve their
full potential through education, support and advocacy, and to promote limb
loss prevention." The organization is based in Knoxville, Tennessee, and has
an advocacy staff in Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit the
Amputee Coalition's prosthetic parity Web page at
www.armsandlegsarenotaluxury.com or call 888/267-5669.

About the American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association (AOPA)
AOPA, based in Alexandria, Virginia, is the largest nonprofit organization
dedicated to helping orthotic and prosthetic businesses and professionals
navigate the multitude of issues surrounding the delivery of quality patient
care. This year, the association celebrates the 92nd anniversary of its
founding in 1917, when the needs of returning veterans in the aftermath of
World War I required a national organization to address the educational and
research needs of the industry. For more information, visit the AOPA Web site
at www.aopanet.org or call 571/431-0876.

SOURCE The American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association

Janet Jobe Named Director Of Jordan Thomas Foundation

The Jordan Thomas Foundation announced that the new position of director will be held by Janet Kelley Jobe beginning July 1.

Ms. Jobe brings an extensive background of successful fundraising for non-profits to the foundation. She will be responsible for administrative management, public relations, marketing, and fund development for the foundation.

In addition to active involvement in community activities, Janet serves on numerous boards including the Moccasin Bend Girl Scouts Council and the Association of Fundraising Professionals, recently as past-president, as well as past member of YMCA Camp Ocoee Board.

Source

Breaking News!

BREAKING NEWS!  The ACA is excited to announce that with the help of our dedicated local activists, the Connecticut legislature passed prosthetic parity without caps or exemptions!  This makes Connecticut the 18th state, and 7th this year to pass parity legislation! 

 

The bill will make sure that insurance companies that are regulated at the state level will be required to cover prosthetics that are deemed medically necessary by a treating physician on at least equivalent to the coverage under Medicare standards.

 

The prosthetic parity language was amended into HB 5021.  The House passed the bill on May 28th by a vote of 98 to 49.  The Senate passed the bill on June 3 by a vote of 25 to 11.  The bill will now move to Governor Rell's desk to await her action.  She has two weeks to sign it or it will go into effect without her action. 

Prosthetic & Orthotic Act of 2009 has been introduced

The Prosthetic & Orthotic Act of 2009 was introduced in the House on May 21, 2009. H.R. 2575 will ensure amputees get the healthcare they need to live active, independent lives.

More info.

Will Ferrell Sunscreen. Yep, sunscreen.

 

Are you sexy? Are you Hot? Then why in the world would you not want a "Sexy Hot Tan" This is Will's own special "Streaking Strength Formula."

ALL PROCEEDS BENEFIT CANCER FOR COLLEGE

This 30 SPF sunscreen is Aloe and Vitamin E enriched while being PABA free, Alcohol Free, Mineral Free and Fragrance Free. It provides a UVB/UVA broadspectrum protection, is non-greasy and designed for an active lifestyle.

100% of the net proceeds from sales of this 30 SPF sunscreen product benefit the Cancer for College scholarship fund. ACTIVE INGREDIENTS Homosalate @ 8%, Oxybenzone @5%, Octisalate @4%, Avobenzone @ 3%, Octocrylene @ 2.4%

Making News by Doing Good

Ability Prosthetics and Orthotics has teamed up with Physicians for Peace.  Their goal is to collect old prosthetic parts and ship them overseas so that more amputees will have greater access.

It's a project that's not only benefiting those abroad; it's also helping the people who donate.

Shake-a-Leg Miami to Host Miami’s First-Ever 2009 No Barriers Festival, June 4-7

Shake-A-Leg Miami, a community-based aquatic activities center serving able-bodied individuals as well as those with physical, developmental, and economic challenges, will host Miami’s first-ever No Barriers Festival, a festival where interaction, innovation and inspiration help shift the paradigm of possibility, June 4–7, 2009 at the Shake-A-Leg Miami Sea Base in Coconut Grove.

The No Barriers Festival, now in its fourth year, is a unique, international multi-day event that combines land and water-based adaptive sports with cutting-edge techniques and technologies that enable people with challenges to live as actively as possible and to break through their own personal barriers. The four-day Festival of symposiums, clinics and innovations will strive to replace recurring perceptions about disability and personal challenges, with a renewed belief in what is and what will be possible.

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Lobbying for Arms and Legs

WASHINGTON -- Sean Brame looks bored.

He's leaning forward to look down the length of the long, glass covered table, resting his cheek on his right wrist, where the doctors had to cut off his hand three years ago.

Three seats down, a man from Allentown with a prosthetic arm is telling one of Sen. Arlen Specter's aides how he will lose his temporary health insurance in a few months and how that will make it even harder to get the replacement arm he needs. I've got a letter, the man tells the aide, that I'm giving to every lawmaker we meet today.

Sean looks around Specter's conference room inside the Senate's Hart office building, at the deep leather swivel chairs, at the chart dissecting President Clinton's 1993 healthcare proposal blown up mural size, at the senator's staff members, at the other amputees, at the doctors.

He shifts the spearmint gum from the right side of this jaw to the left. Twelve-years-old for more two more days, he wears a tropical print shirt, Steelers sneakers and star-pattern covers over his prosthetic legs....READ MORE

ADA Update

The Las Vegas Sun's Stephanie Tavares reports on important changes in federal anti-discrimination law, of which employers must be aware. Congress passed amendments to the Americans with Disabilities Act, which went into effect January 1.

The legislative and regulatory changes went into effect Jan. 1. They are expected to make it easier for employees to be classified as disabled.

The changes are expected to have a significant effect on human resources departments of businesses with more than 15 employees across the country.

Among those with restored rights are those with a disability that is episodic or in remission, such as seizures. Courts had ruled to exclude people with these types of disabilities.

It also restores protection to those with disabilities who take advantage of corrective measures such as prosthesis, medication, mobility devices, hearing aids, oxygen therapy, assistive technology or those whose bodies or brains have adjusted to compensate for the disability.

The act basically redefines how a person with a disability is defined. Although the specific criterion is still being worked out by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the legal community considers it likely the law will be applied similarly to state anti-discrimination laws in California, where disability is defined as something that makes it difficult to perform certain life activities.

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Hey Buckaroo!

McQuade was born without one hand and one foot, and now, thanks to the Shriners' hospital in Tampa, puts his prosthetics to the test on rock climbing walls and the basketball court.

To continue helping children like McQuade, the Shriners will be hosting the 27th Annual Ocala Shrine Club Rodeo at the Southeastern Livestock Pavilion on Aug. 28, 29, 30 and 31. All proceeds will be given to affiliated hospitals.