Insurance Fairness for Amputees: Prosthetics on 60 Minutes

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Prosthetics on 60 Minutes

Prosthetic advancements were featured on 60 minutes recently. These stories, while inspiring, do not expose the dirty secret, that those amputees who work, have insurance and pay taxes will not have access to modern technology. Heck, the C-leg is something like 10-15 years old now - ancient by technological standards - but still more than the Health Care Commission can wrap their head around. Until either the cost of prosthetics decrease or the parity bill passes, these kind of advanced prosthetics will not be an option for the average working stiff.

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1 comment:

silfertApril 18, 2009 at 4:19 PM
I was excited when I saw the program, but I got a little irritated when they focused on one part of society as potential recipients for this technology. God bless the military for they certainly deserve it, but shouldn't ALL amputees be equally blessed with the ability to go about their lives?
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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.”