Insurance Fairness for Amputees: Nov 14, 2008

Friday, November 14, 2008

Great story on NPR

Here's a great story that ran on NPR's market place in 2006. Yes, that's nearly 3 years ago; back in the dark ages when only 3 states had passed parity laws. Now there are 11 states with more states coming on board plus Federal bills in the house and senate. The argument from the insurance industry is that "The weight of these mandates has made it impossible for some employers to be able to afford to provide health benefits at all. What we need is more research!" Well, folks, here's the power of looking backwards. More research since 2006 has shown that the cost of providing prosthetics on par with other medical coverage will cost the consumer about 25 cents a month. Woo. Then again, maybe they could trim some from the CEO's salary?

Quote of the Moment

Jeffrey Cain, MD, is a bilateral lower-limb amputee and a member of the Amputee Coalition’s Board of Directors and Medical Advisory Committee. Dr. Cain is an excellent example of how prosthetic devices can help amputees function in their daily lives and contribute to society rather than become dependent on it.

“Being able to have prosthetic devices means that I can take care of my patients and teach medical students,” said Dr. Cain.

Unfortunately, working people with employer-provided health insurance plans are often the ones with the biggest problems, Dr. Cain noted. “Because employer-provided insurance plans are increasingly introducing unreasonable limits and caps, if you have a job in America – if you are a hardworking member of society – you can’t afford a leg to stand on. It’s gotten that bad.”