Medicare Changes Could Limit Patient Access To ALS Communication Tools

[KamaAina]

http://kaiserhealthnews.org/news/medicare-changes-could-limit-patient-access-to-als-communication-tools/

Starting Dec. 1, people with ALS – a disease that impairs motor function so people often can’t talk or even move – could lose access to technological advances that allow them to better communicate, thanks to a federal review of what Medicare is allowed to cover.

ALS, which stands for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, hit the national spotlight this summer with the viral “Ice Bucket Challenge.” But while public awareness about the disease soared, Medicare changes that could curtail coverage of communication tools were – by “sheer dumb luck” – already in the works, said Kathleen Holt, associate director at the Center for Medicare Advocacy....

Two hundred members of Congress signed onto a “Dear Colleague” letter sent in September to CMS, asking the agency to address concerns about ALS patients’ access to speech generating devices.

CMS has not responded, despite legislators’ request to hear back by Oct. 1, wrote Riva Litman, a spokeswoman for Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R- Wash. McMorris Rodgers was one the letter’s original authors.