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rknt50a

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Following is from the Center for Medicare Advocacy --

CMA || Center for Medicare Advocacy

Recent changes to Medicare are drastically reducing the ability of the most vulnerable people with disabilities to communicate.

As of April 1, 2014, Medicare began denying payment for many of the medically necessary speech generating devices used by people with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), Cerebral Palsy, Spinal Cord Injuries, and other impairments, when they enter a health care facility, such as a skilled nursing home or hospice. Taking these highly specialized devices away leaves them no way to communicate at a vulnerable and terrifying time.

On September 1, 2014, many severely disabled individuals will have all contact with the outside world cut off. For many years, Medicare allowed individuals using Medicare-provided speech generating devices to use their own funds to "upgrade" the devices. This allowed them to communicate beyond the confines of their room through email, internet, and text messages. After September, Medicare will no longer pay for any device that has the potential to be upgraded to allow communication outside the room

Currently, Medicare routinely denies coverage of the critical eye-gaze technology necessary by some people to operate these speech devices, even when its medical necessity is well documented. They have no way to communicate as a result. After years of waiting for an appeal to Medicare, the eye-gaze coverage is routinely allowed, but individuals should not be forced to wait years without a voice.

We need your "voice!"


______________________________________

Please take a moment and use the link above to submit a message to your legislators and HHS Secretary Burwell.

Thanks to Center for Medicare Advocacy and Team Gleason for taking leadership.

We need to raise some Cain on this one! Please spread the word.

Thanks, all.
 
Done thank you
 
done, thanks .. passing to fb ...
 
Done. That was easy. I recommend everyone click on the link above and fill out the form.
 
done thank you
 
Thank you. Done!
 
Done! Thanks for providing the link.
 
Done. I also sent an email to NBC News with the link to the ALSA page that explains this issue. It would be nice if we could turn the media lose on CMS before the Ice Bucket craze wears itself out. Maybe if we each approached a news agency, local or national, we could convince them that there is more mileage to be gotten out of this wonderful publicity.
 
Done.
I also mentioned this issue to the reported that interviewed me a few weeks ago.
 
Done, thank you.
 
Done. Thank you!
 
>Maybe if we each approached a news agency, local or national, we could convince them that there is more mileage to be gotten out of this wonderful publicity.

great idea! It really took off on my fb pages withh lots of shares ... I'll try local Houston media ...
 
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