I received a message from the Amputee Coalition of America yesterday, letting me know that the new Governor of Kansas, Sam Brownback, is going to designate the month of April as "Limb Loss Awareness Month" with a signing ceremony on Friday, March 25th. Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend the signing ceremony which makes me very unhappy since any recognition of limb loss by the state is a huge step in the right direction. While I doubt that Kansas will put forth a bill for prosthetic parity before the Federal bills pass, maybe Kansas will at least remove the restrictions from the state employee health care contract that only allows the most rudimentary prosthetics and orthotics, denying their employees prosthetics that even state Medicaid recipients are entitled to. Prosthetics that are commonly prescribed and provided under Medicare, Medicaid and the VA are deemed "luxury items" for state employees. Therefore, state employees who pay ever increasing insurance premiums are not covered. Please write Governor Brownback and encourage him to start by changing prosthetic benefits for state employees. Individuals who pay for insurance through premiums should receive appropriate and medically necessary treatment: their arms and legs.
Prosthetics provide dignity and self-reliance. Prosthetics put people back to work. Returning amputees to the workforce strengthens a community and its economy.
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