The Amputee Coalition of America, Knoxville, Tenn, is joining forces with more than 65 health-advocacy organizations calling for elimination of the 24-month waiting period for Medicare benefits for people under 65 with disabilities.

When the Medicare program was expanded in 1972 to cover individuals with disabilities, a two-year waiting period was implemented to control costs and ensure that only those with severe and long-term disabilities would qualify for the program.  Unlike older Americans who typically enroll and become eligible for Medicare coverage immediately when they turn 65, younger people with disabilities, including amputees, must wait two years for their Medicare disability coverage to take effect.

Some 1.8 million amputees live in the United States, the group says.

Amputees who are prevented from accessing replacement or repairs for their prostheses due to the costs will often continue to wear a broken or ill-fitting device. This can lead to abrasions, sores and breakdown, and knee and hip injuries related to overcompensating.  Another option is to use crutches, whose overuse can cause wrist, elbow, and shoulder problems. 
 
The Coalition to End the Two-Year Wait for Medicare recently sent a letter to Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee calling for health coverage for people with disabilities to be at the forefront of efforts to cover the uninsured during the 111th Congress. 

Legislation to phase out the waiting period over 10 years has been introduced in the House and Senate. In the Senate, S2102 is sponsored by Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), and cosponsored by 23 senators, including president-elect Barack Obama. In the House, HR 154, sponsored by Representative Gene Green (D-TX), has 103 cosponsors.

The Coalition is a national, nonprofit consumer educational organization that empowers people who have experienced amputation or are born with limb differences, through education, support, and advocacy.

[Source: Amputee Coalition]