ACA Joins Forces to End Medicare Wait

The Amputee Coalition of America (ACA) has announced that it is joining forces with more than 65 health advocacy organizations to call for the elimination of the 24-month waiting period for Medicare benefits that is required for people under age 65 who have disabilities.

"We are joining the Coalition to End the Two-Year Wait for Medicare to help give voice to people with disabilities and their families who struggle to pay medical bills and keep their households above water while waiting two years for their Medicare coverage to begin as required by law," said Kendra Calhoun, ACA president and CEO.

"By banding together, we make our voices louder and impossible to ignore. This senseless delay in Medicare health coverage for the most vulnerable among us must end," added Robert M. Hayes, president of the Medicare Rights Center.

When the Medicare program was expanded in 1972 to cover individuals with disabilities, a two-year waiting period was implemented to control costs and ensure that only those with severe and long-term disabilities would qualify for the program. Unlike older Americans, who typically enroll and become eligible for Medicare coverage immediately when they turn 65, younger people with disabilities, including amputees, must wait two years for their Medicare disability coverage to take effect.

"This two-year Medicare waiting period places an unnecessary and unfair burden on amputees who need access to their disability benefits to remain healthy, productive, and independent," said Calhoun. "Unfortunately the two-year Medicare waiting period forces many amputees to put offneeded care."

According to the ACA, amputees who are prevented from accessing replacement or repairs for their prostheses due to the costs often continue to wear a broken or ill-fitting device. This can lead to abrasions, sores, and breakdown, as well as knee and hip injuries related to overcompensating. Others use crutches, overuse of which can cause wrist, elbow, and shoulder problems.

"Without a properly fitted device, an amputee may reduce or eliminate their ambulation, forcing them to become sedentary. This can result in increased vascular issues and diabetes complications, osteoporosis, muscle loss, and depression, along with costs associated with nursing home and/or home care," warned Calhoun.

The Coalition to End the Two-Year Wait for Medicare recently sent a letter to Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee calling for health coverage for people with disabilities to be at the forefront of efforts to cover the uninsured during the 111th Congress.

Legislation to phase out the waiting period over ten years has been introduced in the House and Senate. In the Senate, S.2102 is sponsored by Senator JeffBingaman (D-NM), and cosponsored by 23 senators, including President-elect Barack Obama. In the House, H.R. 154, sponsored by Representative Gene Green (D-TX), has 103 cosponsors.

"As Congress and our new administration begin to address America's healthcare crisis, they must place a high priority on closing the gap in coverage that affects a group of Americans most in need of guaranteed access to health carepeople with severe disabilities who are forced to wait two years to become eligible for Medicare coverage," said Calhoun.

ACA Joins Forces to End Medicare Wait

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ACA Joins Forces to End Medicare Wait

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