Insurance Coverage for Prosthetics

Individuals with Amputations Seek Greater Insurance Coverage for Prosthetics Vermont recently became the tenth state to pass a bill requiring private insurers to cover prosthetic limbs to the same extent as other medical procedures. The mandates, supported by individuals with amputations and the prosthetics industry, seek to provide access to prosthetic limbs to a greater number of people with amputations, the largest number of whom lost a limb to diabetes. The health insurance industry opposes the efforts, arguing that the mandates amount to a misallocation of resources, and will drive up costs and limit consumer choice. A similar bill has been introduced in Congress.

Full Story: Dave Gram, Amputees Fight Caps in Coverage for Prosthetics, The Associated Press, June 9, 2008, available athttp://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-06-09-prosthetics-insurance_N.htm