Fwd: FIX MEDICARE REGULATIONS ON MOBILITY DEVICES

[Guest guest]

HELP US GET WASHINGTON TO FIX MEDICARE REGULATIONS ONWHEELCHAIRS, SCOOTERS, AND SIMILAR DEVICES!In December, 2003, as part of a new initiative to fight fraud inthe Medicare wheelchair benefit, the Centers for Medicare andMedicaid Services (CMS) issued a "Policy Clarification" thatseverely limited access to wheelchairs and other mobilitydevices. After months of fighting by individuals like you andorganizations like the ITEM Coalition, the Policy Clarificationwas retracted in March, 2004. HOWEVER, THE FIGHT IS NOT FINISHED. Current Medicare regulationsprovide access to a mobility device only if needed for use inthe four walls of a beneficiary's home and not if he or sheneeds it to fully participate in work, school, and the communityoutside of the home. The regulations also only cover mobilitydevices for those beneficiaries who are "bed or chair confined,"and not for those who can get out of bed but have limitedmobility without a wheelchair, scooter or similar device.We, with your help, are working to maintain momentum on thisissue to ensure that Medicare's overly restrictive regulationsare fixed. PLEASE VISIT THE ITEM COALITION WEBSITE ATwww.itemcoalition.org/takeaction.html TO TAKE ACTION ON THISISSUE. On this website, you can tell key policymakers to fix theMedicare regulations so that Americans with Medicare can haveaccess to mobility devices they need to be healthy, independentand functional.Thank you.You can take action on this alert either via email (please seedirections below) or via the web at:http://ga3.org/campaign/takeaction/6esbe7r2j3668xVisit the web address below to tell your friends about this.http://ga3.org/campaign/takeaction/forward/6esbe7r2j3668xWe encourage you to take action by May 20, 2006FIX MEDICARE REGULATIONS ON MOBILITY DEVICESINSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA THE WEB:If you have access to a web browser, you can take action on thisalert by going to the following URL:http://ga3.org/campaign/takeaction/6esbe7r2j3668x INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA EMAIL:Just choose the "reply to sender" option on your email program.Your letter will be addressed and sent to:The Honorable Mark McClellan ----THIS LETTER WILL BE SENT IN YOUR NAME----Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],I am writing you to urge you to fix Medicare regulations onmobility device coverage by (a) changing the "in the home"requirement for coverage of mobility devices, as well as other"durable medical equipment," so that individuals can have accessto the devices they need for mobility outside of the four wallsof their home and ( providing mobility devices to those whoare not "bed or chair confined" but require wheelchairs andother mobility devices to be fully mobile and independent. Power wheelchairs not only help individuals with disabilitiesmaximize their mobility and reduce secondary injuries from longterm manual wheelchair use, they also help these individuals beas independent and functional as possible. The current Medicareregulations described above severely restrict access to bothpower and manual wheelchairs, threatening the access ofbeneficiaries with legitimate mobility needs to thesetechnologies. It makes no sense for mobility devices to only be available ifone needs them for use in the home. People with disabilities ofall ages fully participate in the workplace, school, andcommunity, and the federal government should not put upobstacles for people to be healthy and independent. Nor does it make sense for wheelchairs to only be provided tothose who are "bed or chair confined." If you can walk one, twoor even ten or fifteen steps on your own or with a cane, butcannot walk across your entire home, or walk to work, thegrocery store, etc., how can the federal government say that youdo not require a mobility device? Moreover, these decisionsshould be in the hands of doctors.For these reasons, I strongly urge you to fix Medicareregulations by changing the "in the home" and "bed or chairconfined" requirements and helping to ensure that beneficiarieswho need mobility devices have access to them.----END OF LETTER TO BE SENT----Sincerely,cc:Your Congressperson Your Senators --------------------------------------------------If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up forITEM Coalition at:http://ga3.org/item/join.html?r=dpa-8yY1tjhnE--------------------------------------------------If you would like to unsubscribe from ITEM Coalition, you canrespond to this email with "REMOVE" as the subject, or you canvisit your subscription management page at:http://ga3.org/item/smp.tcl?nkey=6esbe7r2j3668x***************************************Powered by GetActive Software, Inc.Member Relationship Management SolutionsThat Recruit, Engage, and Retain http://www.getactive.com***************************************

Dear Carol Belluccio,

HELP US GET WASHINGTON TO FIX MEDICARE REGULATIONS ON

WHEELCHAIRS, SCOOTERS, AND SIMILAR DEVICES!

In December, 2003, as part of a new initiative to fight fraud in

the Medicare wheelchair benefit, the Centers for Medicare and

Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a " Policy Clarification " that

severely limited access to wheelchairs and other mobility

devices. After months of fighting by individuals like you and

organizations like the ITEM Coalition, the Policy Clarification

was retracted in March, 2004.

HOWEVER, THE FIGHT IS NOT FINISHED. Current Medicare regulations

provide access to a mobility device only if needed for use in

the four walls of a beneficiary's home and not if he or she

needs it to fully participate in work, school, and the community

outside of the home. The regulations also only cover mobility

devices for those beneficiaries who are " bed or chair confined, "

and not for those who can get out of bed but have limited

mobility without a wheelchair, scooter or similar device.

We, with your help, are working to maintain momentum on this

issue to ensure that Medicare's overly restrictive regulations

are fixed. PLEASE VISIT THE ITEM COALITION WEBSITE AT

www.itemcoalition.org/takeaction.html TO TAKE ACTION ON THIS

ISSUE. On this website, you can tell key policymakers to fix the

Medicare regulations so that Americans with Medicare can have

access to mobility devices they need to be healthy, independent

and functional.

Thank you.

You can take action on this alert either via email (please see

directions below) or via the web at:

http://ga3.org/campaign/takeaction/6esbe7r2j3668x

Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this.

http://ga3.org/campaign/takeaction/forward/6esbe7r2j3668x

We encourage you to take action by May 20, 2006

FIX MEDICARE REGULATIONS ON MOBILITY DEVICES

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA THE WEB:

If you have access to a web browser, you can take action on this

alert by going to the following URL:

http://ga3.org/campaign/takeaction/6esbe7r2j3668x

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA EMAIL:

Just choose the " reply to sender " option on your email program.

Your letter will be addressed and sent to:

The Honorable Mark McClellan

----THIS LETTER WILL BE SENT IN YOUR NAME----

Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],

I am writing you to urge you to fix Medicare regulations on

mobility device coverage by (a) changing the " in the home "

requirement for coverage of mobility devices, as well as other

" durable medical equipment, " so that individuals can have access

to the devices they need for mobility outside of the four walls

of their home and ( providing mobility devices to those who

are not " bed or chair confined " but require wheelchairs and

other mobility devices to be fully mobile and independent.

Power wheelchairs not only help individuals with disabilities

maximize their mobility and reduce secondary injuries from long

term manual wheelchair use, they also help these individuals be

as independent and functional as possible. The current Medicare

regulations described above severely restrict access to both

power and manual wheelchairs, threatening the access of

beneficiaries with legitimate mobility needs to these

technologies.

It makes no sense for mobility devices to only be available if

one needs them for use in the home. People with disabilities of

all ages fully participate in the workplace, school, and

community, and the federal government should not put up

obstacles for people to be healthy and independent.

Nor does it make sense for wheelchairs to only be provided to

those who are " bed or chair confined. " If you can walk one, two

or even ten or fifteen steps on your own or with a cane, but

cannot walk across your entire home, or walk to work, the

grocery store, etc., how can the federal government say that you

do not require a mobility device? Moreover, these decisions

should be in the hands of doctors.

For these reasons, I strongly urge you to fix Medicare

regulations by changing the " in the home " and " bed or chair

confined " requirements and helping to ensure that beneficiaries

who need mobility devices have access to them.

----END OF LETTER TO BE SENT----

Sincerely,

Carol Belluccio

cc:

Your Congressperson

Your Senators

--------------------------------------------------

If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for

ITEM Coalition at:

http://ga3.org/item/join.html?r=dpa-8yY1tjhnE

--------------------------------------------------

If you would like to unsubscribe from ITEM Coalition, you can

respond to this email with " REMOVE " as the subject, or you can

visit your subscription management page at:

http://ga3.org/item/smp.tcl?nkey=6esbe7r2j3668x

***************************************

Powered by GetActive Software, Inc.

Member Relationship Management Solutions

That Recruit, Engage, and Retain

http://www.getactive.com

***************************************