{"id":1157,"date":"2015-08-11T05:00:19","date_gmt":"2015-08-11T13:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/?p=1157"},"modified":"2015-08-11T10:31:07","modified_gmt":"2015-08-11T18:31:07","slug":"notaluxury-medicare-issue-alert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/notaluxury-medicare-issue-alert\/","title":{"rendered":"#NotALuxury Medicare Issue Alert"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/notaluxury.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-1164 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/notaluxury.jpg\" alt=\"prosthetics are #notaluxury. Sign the petition to rescind the Medicare proposal restricting access to prosthetic care we the people your voice in government\" width=\"320\" height=\"320\" srcset=\"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/notaluxury.jpg 320w, https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/notaluxury-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/notaluxury-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/notaluxury-50x50.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px\" \/><\/a>The Amputee Coalition, along with <a href=\"http:\/\/www.saveprosthetics.org\/\">many others in the prosthetic limb communities<\/a>, are asking for help in raising awareness of a recent Medicare policy proposal released on July 16 that has the potential to drastically change prosthetic care for individuals with amputations. Keep in mind that even if you\u2019re not currently a Medicare patient, private insurers often follow Medicare guidelines, so this issue could still impact you.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">You may or may not have heard about the details of the Draft Policy for Medicare\u2019s Local Coverage Determination (LCD) Article on Lower Limb Prostheses. As the only national amputee consumer advocacy organization, the Amputee Coalition is voicing their concerns about the potential impact these proposed changes could have on individuals that use prosthetics, and is providing formal comments that include recommended changes to the proposed policy to ensure patients continue to receive what they feel is appropriate prosthetic care.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Amputee Coalition provides the following highlights (below) of some of the most significant concerns that they have found with this proposed policy. More detailed information about each concern is available at\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.amputee-coalition.org\">http:\/\/www.amputee-coalition.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Highlights of concerns with the proposed policy:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Medicare will no longer consider your potential functional abilities with an appropriate device when determining your prosthetic needs.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">If you are using an assistive device such as a cane, crutch or walker, you will be limited to less functional prosthetic devices. If you have a higher functional level, Medicare will not pay for you to have a wheelchair.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Combining feet and ankles into a single code and limiting access to advanced technology would significantly harm your access to the feet and ankles that best meet your individual needs.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">You and your medical team may no longer be able to select the necessary socket systems or liner inserts to ensure the most appropriate fit for your needs.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">You could be provided a less functional prosthesis or denied a device just because you may not be able to attain the \u201cappearance of a natural gait,\u201d or if your medical record references certain health complications.<\/li>\n<li>The Medicare proposal redefines the rehabilitation process for individuals with amputations and forces them to rehab on out-of-date technology that they will not even use once they receive their permanent prosthetic device.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There are several ways that you can help!<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/petitions.whitehouse.gov\/petition\/rescind-medicare-proposal-restricting-access-prosthetic-limbs-and-returning-amputees-1970s-standards-care\">Sign this petition today!<\/a>\u00a0 They still need over 50,000 more signatures before August 30, 2015.<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0Submit your letter to Congress on this important issue! Visit this <a href=\"http:\/\/cqrcengage.com\/acoa\/app\/write-a-letter?0&amp;engagementId=123953\">site<\/a> to fill out a form that goes to your representative.<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0Like the Amputee Coalition on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AmputeeUSA?utm_source=Amputee+Coalition+|+eNews&amp;utm_campaign=0425846352-Advocacy_Alert_2015_08_10&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_3201b4f9ce-0425846352-56419401\">Facebook<\/a><\/li>\n<li>\u00a0Follow Amputee Coalition on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AmputeesUSA\">Twitter<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CMSGov\">\u00a0Tweet Medicare<\/a> using their handle &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CMSGov\">@CMSGov<\/a>&#8220;<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0Also, you can put your face on this issue by doing the following:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Record a 10- to 15-second video of yourself doing an everyday activity; attach that video to a tweet. Pick a basic activity that you do every day (e.g., carrying your child, walking your dog, buying groceries, etc.).<br \/>\nEnd the clip by saying, \u201c[insert activity] is not a luxury.\u201d So, for example, if you shot video of you walking the dog, you\u2019d walk toward the camera and then stop and say, \u201cWalking my dog is not a luxury.\u201d<br \/>\nStart the tweet with \u201c<strong>@CMSGov.<\/strong>\u201d ( the Twitter handle for Medicare), so that Medicare sees each and every video.\u00a0 Feel free to also tag <strong>@AmputeeUSA<\/strong> so that they can re-tweet your message!<br \/>\nAfter that, type \u201c[insert activity] is \u202a<strong>#NotALuxury<\/strong>.\u201d So again, using the previous example, the tweet would read, \u201cWalking my dog is #NotALuxury.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Finish by linking to the petition and asking Medicare to rescind this proposed policy. Below are two video examples:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-video\" lang=\"en\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CMSGov\">@CMSGov<\/a> cleaning the house is <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NotALuxury?src=hash\">#NotALuxury<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/7uS5zcAk1k\">pic.twitter.com\/7uS5zcAk1k<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 AshleyLynn (@248_459) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/248_459\/status\/629703278360719361\">August 7, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-video\" lang=\"en\"><p>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CMSGov\">@CMSGov<\/a> &#8220;Grocery shopping is not a luxury&#8221; Ask Medicare to rescind this proposal policy: <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/a8qPq2vYOZ\">http:\/\/t.co\/a8qPq2vYOZ<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/nq5Mvi9omF\">pic.twitter.com\/nq5Mvi9omF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Stella Sieber (@sosieber) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/sosieber\/status\/629727598076166144\">August 7, 2015<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Amputee Coalition, along with many others in the prosthetic limb communities, are asking for help in raising awareness of a recent Medicare policy proposal released on July 16 that has the potential to drastically change prosthetic care for individuals with amputations. Keep in mind that even if you\u2019re not currently a Medicare patient, private&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1164,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,1],"tags":[9,42,2,7,5,24,16,43,37],"class_list":["post-1157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-legislation","category-uncategorized","tag-advocacy","tag-amputee","tag-at-network","tag-at-professional","tag-independence","tag-insurance","tag-mobility","tag-prosthetic","tag-veterans"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1157"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1157\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1171,"href":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1157\/revisions\/1171"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}