Legislators Pass Bill for Recreational Prostheses, Others Fail
A Colorado bill—So Colorado Can Move (HB-1136)—requiring insurance companies to pay for prosthetic devices for recreational and physical activities for children and adults, was signed into law on May 27 by Colorado Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera. The bill passed both houses unanimously on May 1. Colorado state representatives David Ortiz (D), Anthony Hartsook (R), and senators Faith Winter (D) and Larry Liston (R) cosponsored the bill.
Maine passed a law in May 2022 requiring insurers to approve claims for recreational prosthetic devices for children under 18.
Here’s an update on other states that have introduced and plan to introduce similar bipartisan bills, according to American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association (AOPA). To date, five states have enacted So Kids Can Move legislation:
New Mexico: Passed a similar law to Colorado’s bill in April.
Arkansas: The bill was signed into law in April, covering those individuals with K3 and K4 activity levels.
Illinois: The bill cleared both houses of the legislature as of May 11 and went to the governor’s desk. As of early June, the governor had not signed yet but is expected to do so.
Indiana: The bill unanimously passed the House in February, but later stalled in a Senate committee and never advanced. The session has ended and the bill died in committee.
New Hampshire: The bill did not advance. The original committee that had considered it sent the bill back to the Division of Insurance for a fiscal analysis. No further action was taken.
“[These bills] are for all ages, not just kids,” said Nicole Ver Kuilen, manager of public engagement for AOPA. “Because of this, we are evolving our brand and are excited to share more on this later this summer.”
Ver Kuilen said Indiana and New Hampshire are currently building up their grassroots support and will be re-introducing new legislation in 2024. Minnesota has also joined the ranks and has introduced legislation in 2023 that they will be working on in 2024, she said.
“Including Minnesota, we are anticipating at least ten states will be introducing legislation in 2024 and our partners are gearing up to help support,” Ver Kuilen said.
