This past August I
sent letters to all of Hawaii's Representatives asking them to contact Medicare
and investigate the restrictive policies around Speech and Communication
devices (read
my original letter). Patients with ALS and other severe disabilities are
being denied access to the durable medical equipment that is necessary for them
to communicate with their caregivers, families and friends. So far, only
Representative TULSI GABBARD has responded. Her message to me is below:
Thank you for contacting me about
recent policies proposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
(CMS) on Medicare beneficiary access to Speech Generating Devices (SGDs) and
SGD accessories. I share your concerns
about these policies and have contacted CMS about the problems with their
rules.
As you may know, CMS currently
covers medically necessary SGDs as part of the Medicare durable medical
equipment benefit. Patients who utilize
SGDs include Medicare beneficiaries living with a range of severe neurological
and communication disabilities related to conditions such as amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis (ALS), cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's
disease, brain stem stroke, locked-in syndrome, and traumatic brain injury.
Over the course of the last year,
CMS has made significant changes that make patient access to this technology
more difficult. Patients who utilize
SGDs are some of Medicare's most vulnerable, and throwing up obstacles to SGDs
only serve to make handling these debilitating conditions more painful. Moreover, because of the prognosis of these
patients, access to these communication devices is an immediate concern and
many do not have the time to go through a lengthy appeals process. As a result, I joined with other House
colleagues to request information to better understand CMS's rationale and to
identify some quick solutions that will address the needs of these patients
while maintaining the integrity of the Medicare program.
We cannot take away a patient's
only option for communicating with caregivers, friends, and family. You can be assured I will continue to monitor
CMS's consideration of these policies and the availability of SGDs. Again, mahalo for taking the time to get in
touch with me.
Sincerely,
TULSI GABBARD
Member of Congress
