Speak Up.
I'll keep this short and sweet. This is for all my patients, friends of patients, family of patients and any others concerned with the well-being of amputees.
There is a bill under consideration right now in the US House and Senate that can have a powerful impact on the care amputees receive. It's called the Medicare Orthotics and Prosthetics Improvement Act (S829/HR1530), and it would protect amputees from unlicensed or unaccredited providers and ensure that amputees receive adequate orthotics and prosthetics care.
The bill is making its way through various House and Senate committees at the moment. So now is the time to let your Congressmen and Senators know that you want them to support the bill. Your voice is important. According to one site, the bill has only a 2% chance of passing. If you speak up and encourage other to speak up, we can increase that chance.
As many of you know, I not only let my voice be heard on legislation such as this, but I strongly encourage amputees to be advocates for themselves as well. We live in a world that, fairly or unfairly, is stacked in favor of the able bodied, and only by speaking up, speaking often and speaking loudly can we let the rest of that world know what needs to change.
You can read more about the House bill here and contact your Congressman here.
Information on the Senate bill can be found here. Contact your Senators here.