On February 7, almost 100 amputees flooded the capitol in Hartford, Connecticut, to lobby for the state's parity bill. The activists were pushing for legislation that would require insurance companies to cover prostheses in the same way or on par with other basic medical services. The rallying cry in Hartford was "Parity Works," not only because this policy will work to get people the care they need, but also because it helps keep amputees working and paying taxes. Rachel Grusse was among those who participated in a media event at the Connecticut State Capitol. Grusse, 15, lost both of her legs when she was 16 months old and has had several pairs of legs made over the years as she has grown. Coverage for her prosthetic care has diminished from 100 percent to 75 percent to now 50 percent with no out-of-pocket maximums-a difficult adjustment for Grusse and her family. Grusse was joined by her parents, aunt, grandmother, and several friends at the Capitol to push for parity to help all families who are simply trying to get their children the care they need to lead full and active lives. John DiMasso also spoke. He lost his leg three years ago as a result of an accident. His rehabilitation went well, and he was provided a leg and went back to work. He was later advised to lose some weight for health reasons. He followed through on that advice, but his prosthesis no longer fit correctly. When he went back to get a replacement, he was told that his insurance company will only cover one prosthesis per lifetime. This made him a passionate advocate for prosthetic insurance coverage parity. In addition to the media event, a group of prosthetists and local amputees set up an educational presentation in the legislative office building. They participated in lobby meetings with members of the Insurance & Real Estate Committee as well as legislative leadership and talked with staff from their representative's office. Morgan Sheets is the national advocacy director for Amputee Coalition of Americas (ACA) Action Plan for People with Limb Loss (APPLL) initiative. She can be reached at APPLL@amputee-coalition.org . For more information, visit www.amputee-coalition.org/advocacy/index.html
On February 7, almost 100 amputees flooded the capitol in Hartford, Connecticut, to lobby for the state's parity bill. The activists were pushing for legislation that would require insurance companies to cover prostheses in the same way or on par with other basic medical services. The rallying cry in Hartford was "Parity Works," not only because this policy will work to get people the care they need, but also because it helps keep amputees working and paying taxes. Rachel Grusse was among those who participated in a media event at the Connecticut State Capitol. Grusse, 15, lost both of her legs when she was 16 months old and has had several pairs of legs made over the years as she has grown. Coverage for her prosthetic care has diminished from 100 percent to 75 percent to now 50 percent with no out-of-pocket maximums-a difficult adjustment for Grusse and her family. Grusse was joined by her parents, aunt, grandmother, and several friends at the Capitol to push for parity to help all families who are simply trying to get their children the care they need to lead full and active lives. John DiMasso also spoke. He lost his leg three years ago as a result of an accident. His rehabilitation went well, and he was provided a leg and went back to work. He was later advised to lose some weight for health reasons. He followed through on that advice, but his prosthesis no longer fit correctly. When he went back to get a replacement, he was told that his insurance company will only cover one prosthesis per lifetime. This made him a passionate advocate for prosthetic insurance coverage parity. In addition to the media event, a group of prosthetists and local amputees set up an educational presentation in the legislative office building. They participated in lobby meetings with members of the Insurance & Real Estate Committee as well as legislative leadership and talked with staff from their representative's office. Morgan Sheets is the national advocacy director for Amputee Coalition of Americas (ACA) Action Plan for People with Limb Loss (APPLL) initiative. She can be reached at APPLL@amputee-coalition.org . For more information, visit www.amputee-coalition.org/advocacy/index.html