House Bill 76 is heading to the Delaware State Senate after being unanimously passed by the House last week. This bill requires health insurance companies to reimburse for artificial limbs at the same rate as the federal government. Delaware is looking to join the 11 other states with prosthetic parity laws on the books.
House Bill 76 is sponsored by Democrats Helene Keeley, Debra Heffernan, and Gerald Brady.
Brady recently said, "passage of a prosthetic parity bill is necessary, because while some insurers will cover 80 percent or more of the cost of prosthetics and orthotics at any time, others allow a person 1 prosthetic or orthotic for a lifetime."
The Orthotic and Prosthetic Assistance Fund (OPAF) and The First
Clinics, along with Winslow Therapeutic Riding Center hosted a
McKeever’s First Ride on Sunday, September 27 at Winslow’s North
American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA) facilities in
Warwick, New York.
Nashville recording artist Templeton Thompson and her husband Sam
Gay opened the afternoon with their music and then introduced event
coordinators from both OPAF and Winslow. Tony Cerminaro, PT, a
transfemoral amputee, gave a barrel-racing demonstration on his horse,
Dusty; and Jodie O’Connell, a below-elbow amputee, talked about
returning to riding just four weeks after surgery and using riding as
part of her rehabilitation. She then gave a demonstration of English
riding and movement. Finally, Paddy Rossbach, former president and CEO
of the Amputee Coalition of America (ACA), gave a presentation of
Americana dressage on her horse Sienna, a 17-year-old Arabian.
According to OPAF, the clinic drew in 16 attendees. “We were close
to our maximum number of attendees to be able to get everyone up and on
horseback,” OPAF said. Participants were guided through activities
including horseback riding, grooming, groundwork in the barns, and arts
and crafts. “Everyone had the chance to ride, including getting the
chance to trot their horse, which included a lead walker as well as two
side walkers for safety,” OPAF noted.
When asked about his experience, Adhiambo Mitchell, a bilateral
transfemoral amputee from New York responded, “It feels like I should
be doing this three times a week!”
This clinic was initiated by John Vacca, who had attended the
inaugural McKeever’s First Ride in Atlanta, Georgia, this summer and
wanted to give a similar experience to people in his area. “John was
instrumental in locating the Winslow facility and in recruitment of
attendees and help with public relations,” OPAF said. “Management and
staff at Winslow were wonderful to work with in all aspects of the
planning of the event and event day.”
According to OPAF, the clinic was underwritten through the
sponsorship of Touch Bionics, Livingston, Scotland; Jack Gold Surgical
Appliances, Randolph, New Jersey; and Heritage Medical, New
York.
On January 15th, 2008 New Jersey became the eighth
state to pass parity into law. The bill
requires a consistent standard for health insurance coverage for orthotic and prosthetic
care.
