Action Alert: Ask Congress to Fix "In the Home" Restriction

Submitted by Shelley Joyce on Mon, 07/16/2007 - 11:59am.

Congressmen Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Jim Ramstad (R-MN) have introduced legislation in the House of Representatives that would
fix Medicare's "in the home" restriction on mobility devices. Your help is needed to ensure enactment of this bill. Please call your Representative and ask that they cosponsor this important legislation for people with disabilities!

Currently, Medicare will only cover a mobility device if an individual needs it for use inside their homes. In other words, if an individual is able to do without a wheelchair or scooter inside, but needs such a device to go to work, school, the grocery store, their place of worship, the pharmacy or their physician's office, Medicare will NOT pay for it. The "in the home" rule severely restricts the independence of people with disabilities by limiting their ability to participate in their communities.

ACTION: Please call your Representative toll-free via the capitol switchboard at 1-877-224-0041, and ask that they become a cosponsor of the Medicare Independent Living Act of 2007 (HR1809). (To find your Congressional Representative, click here.) Let them know that people with disabilities should have access to devices that will help them live healthy and independent lives both inside and outside of their homes!

Information provided by ITEM Coalition. You can call them at 202-349-4260 with any
questions and visit the ITEM Coalition website at
www.itemcoalition.org for more information.

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