SAMPLE LETTER #1

Dear Editor,

Without legislation to ensure coverage, many people living with the loss or absence of a limb are facing discouraging obstacles when trying to obtain prosthetic care. That is why a group of amputees and prosthetists are working together in Missouri to advance legislation to require a consistent standard for insurance coverage for prostheses. 

Obviously, the biggest concern anybody has about passing a new health regulation is cost. People fear that big jumps in the cost of insurance will reduce access to health care.  None of us want to see health insurance costs pushed beyond the reach of the average consumer.  Policy reports have been done in Massachusetts, California, Colorado, New Jersey and Virginia.  They have found that providing prosthetics is low cost to individual consumers.  Furthermore, it also saves money in the public and private sector.

A Department of Health Care Policy & Financing report found that 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. 

Prosthetic parity legislation is supported by doctors, patients, prosthetists and a diverse range of organizations.  I am writing to urge policy makers to support this important legislation.

Sincerely,
Name, Address, Phone

SAMPLE LETTER #2

Dear Editor,

Right now, many amputees in Missouri are unable to get the prosthetic care they need due to unfair and short sighted insurance practices.  A group of amputees and prosthetists are working to advance legislation to require a consistent standard for insurance coverage for prostheses. 

Current changes in insurance plans are having a devastating effect on amputees and their families. For example, companies will pay the surgical cost of amputating a limb, and for subsequent amputations caused by inactivity, while simultaneously limiting or even eliminating prosthetic coverage. Other payers impose such unrealistic annual and lifetime caps on prosthetic coverage that people with limb loss are unable to obtain prostheses.

If amputees are prevented from accessing the care they need to be productive members of society, this increases state Medicaid costs due to complications such as flexion contractures, skin breakdown, osteoporosis, muscle loss, and depression, along with costs associated with nursing home and/or home care. The subsequent cost to the healthcare system far exceeds that of providing prosthetic care, while the lack of productivity places a huge burden on society.

The provision of prosthetic services should be viewed as restorative. Other states have found that curtailing or eliminating these vital services have actually cost them more money in the long run. Prosthetic coverage laws return people to work and save money for the states passing it.  

This is not only common sense policy.  It is also the right thing to do.  I am writing to urge Missouri policy makers to support prosthetic parity legislation.      

Sincerely,
Name, Address, Phone

SAMPLE LETTER #3

Dear Editor,

Most people do not understand what the prosthetic needs are of amputees, let alone the rehabilitation and therapy process to walk again, or hold a loved one in their arms. Prosthetic care is a cost item, which most people cannot afford.  That is why we pay for insurance coverage, to cover for those unexpected health costs anyone of us may face.

Tragically, there is a trend among insurance companies to limit coverage options.  In some cases, they are even eliminating coverage for prosthetic care.  We need to protect this important care for the people of our state who need it.  That is why Rep. Cooper filed the prosthetic parity bill (HB 2100) during the 2008 legislative session.

HB 2100 establishes a consistent standard for prosthetic care by requiring insurance companies to cover prostheses on par with other basic, essential services.  Ten other states have passed prosthetic parity bills.  This legislation supports people with limb loss in their efforts to recover and be active persons by preventing unjust limits on their insurance coverage.

It is time for Missouri to step up and protect access to this very basic and essential medical care.  I urge policy makers to support prosthetic parity legislation.  

Sincerely,
Name, Address, Phone

SAMPLE LETTER #4

Dear Editor,

Over the past ten years, insurance companies have begun to change the way that they cover prosthetics in Missouri. Amputees recovering from trauma or illnesses have been told that prosthetic care has been capped as low as $1,000 per year or even eliminated entirely.  Unfortunately this means that many patients are left with zero coverage by the time they have left the hospital and are in need of a device to replace a limb or support ongoing treatment.

Children, who outgrow their devices, and the elderly are especially hard hit because they may need a series of devices to correct deformities or treat progressive diseases. Policy holders who have fairly paid premiums and had thought that coverage for medically necessary devices was included are shocked when they receive the news that they will not receive the care they need to lead independent, productive lives.  That is why Rep. Cooper filed the prosthetic parity bill (HB 2100) during the 2008 legislative session. This bill requires parity for prosthetic coverage.  It treats prosthetic care as basic, medically necessary care.  

Denying a young person an artificial limb to replace one that has been amputated after treatment for cancer or injury is inhumane. Condemning an elderly patient to an expensive wheelchair who could otherwise be mobile is financially and morally irresponsible. I urge policy makers to support this important legislation!

Sincerely,

Name, Address, Phone