JANUARY 2009 - PLEASE NOTE: The Reconstructive Surgery Act must be re-introduced with the new session of Congress. Delays are expected due to the overall healthcare debate. Please sign the petition, an ongoing project of AICA. Check the website for updates and the new bill number when it becomes available.
Stop insurance denials for cleft/craniofacial care! Support the Reconstructive Surgery Act! For more information, visit our advocacy website at http://www.aica-advocates.blogspot.com/.
For information about support and services, visit http://www.cleftadvocate.org/ and http://www.ameriface.org/.
You, or someone you love, can become a craniofacial patient at any time.
An accident, an animal attack, a burn, a stroke, a disease, or the joyous birth of a child. In a blink of an eye, life can change.
According to a report issued in January 2006 by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), orofacial clefts are now the number one most common birth defects in the United States (http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/r060105.htm).
Thousands of babies are born each year with vascular anomalies, such as venous malformations, hemangiomas and port wine stains.
Many more individuals become craniofacial patients each year due to burns, trauma and diseases like oral/head/neck cancer.
Unfortunately, there has been much documentation of families and individuals having to fight to receive the medically-necessary treatment and reconstructive surgery needed to live a healthy, normal life.
The Reconstructive Surgery Act (HR2820) was re-introduced by Congressman Mike Ross of Arkansas on June 21, 2007. Under this legislation, health insurance and managed care companies will be forced to recognize that ongoing medical procedures needed by craniofacial patients are not cosmetic, but are reconstructive in nature.
While some states have laws guaranteeing coverage for treatment and surgery for patients with craniofacial abnormalities, most of them (as well as proposed federal legislation similar to HR2820) guarantee coverage for patients only to age 21; unfortunately, craniofacial conditions do not simply disappear when a child reaches adulthood and many patients do not even acquire their condition until adulthood. State laws also do not address the issue of self-insured funds.
We encourage members of Congress to research and co-sponsor HR2820. This legislation is designed to protect citizens from discrimination in health care. The need for this initiative is far greater than you may think.
Along with constituent letters collected from around the country, we will submit this petition not only to Congressman Mike Ross to share with his colleagues in the House, but we will also submit a copy to each and every member Congress personally. We look forward to finding a Senator equally as dedicated as Mr. Ross to introduce this legislation on the Senate side.
For more information, visit our website at http://www.aica-advocates.blogspot.com/.
JANUARY 2009 - PLEASE NOTE: The Reconstructive Surgery Act must be re-introduced with the new session of Congress. Delays are expected due to the overall healthcare debate. Please sign the petition, an ongoing project of AICA. Check the website for updates and the new bill number when it becomes available.
Stop insurance denials for cleft/craniofacial care! Support the Reconstructive Surgery Act! For more information, visit our advocacy website at http://www.aica-advocates.blogspot.com/.
For information about support and services, visit http://www.cleftadvocate.org/ and http://www.ameriface.org/.
You, or someone you love, can become a craniofacial patient at any time.
An accident, an animal attack, a burn, a stroke, a disease, or the joyous birth of a child. In a blink of an eye, life can change.
According to a report issued in January 2006 by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), orofacial clefts are now the number one most common birth defects in the United States (http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/r060105.htm).
Thousands of babies are born each year with vascular anomalies, such as venous malformations, hemangiomas and port wine stains.
Many more individuals become craniofacial patients each year due to burns, trauma and diseases like oral/head/neck cancer.
Unfortunately, there has been much documentation of families and individuals having to fight to receive the medically-necessary treatment and reconstructive surgery needed to live a healthy, normal life.
The Reconstructive Surgery Act (HR2820) was re-introduced by Congressman Mike Ross of Arkansas on June 21, 2007. Under this legislation, health insurance and managed care companies will be forced to recognize that ongoing medical procedures needed by craniofacial patients are not cosmetic, but are reconstructive in nature.
While some states have laws guaranteeing coverage for treatment and surgery for patients with craniofacial abnormalities, most of them (as well as proposed federal legislation similar to HR2820) guarantee coverage for patients only to age 21; unfortunately, craniofacial conditions do not simply disappear when a child reaches adulthood and many patients do not even acquire their condition until adulthood. State laws also do not address the issue of self-insured funds.
We encourage members of Congress to research and co-sponsor HR2820. This legislation is designed to protect citizens from discrimination in health care. The need for this initiative is far greater than you may think.
Along with constituent letters collected from around the country, we will submit this petition not only to Congressman Mike Ross to share with his colleagues in the House, but we will also submit a copy to each and every member Congress personally. We look forward to finding a Senator equally as dedicated as Mr. Ross to introduce this legislation on the Senate side.
For more information, visit our website at http://www.aica-advocates.blogspot.com/.
As your constituents, we are signing this petition urging you to co-sponsor The Reconstructive Surgery Act of 2007 (HR2820), introduced by Congressman Mike Ross of Arkansas on June 21. Signers are from all over the United States, living in many Congressional districts.
According to a report issued in January 2006 by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), orofacial clefts are now the number one most common birth defects in the United States (http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/r060105.htm).
Thousands of babies are born each year with vascular anomalies, such as venous malformations, hemangiomas and port wine stains.
Many more individuals become craniofacial patients each year due to burns, trauma and diseases like oral/head/neck cancer.
Unfortunately, there has been much documentation of families and individuals having to fight to receive the medically-necessary treatment and reconstructive surgery needed to live a healthy, normal life.
The Reconstructive Surgery Act (HR2820) was re-introduced by Congressman Mike Ross of Arkansas on June 21, 2007. Under this legislation, health insurance and managed care companies will be forced to recognize that ongoing medical procedures needed by craniofacial patients are not cosmetic, but are reconstructive in nature.
While some states have laws guaranteeing coverage for treatment and surgery for patients with craniofacial abnormalities, most of them (as well as proposed federal legislation similar to HR2820) guarantee coverage for patients only to age 21; unfortunately, craniofacial conditions do not simply disappear when a child reaches adulthood and many patients do not even acquire their condition until adulthood. State laws also do not address the issue of self-insured funds.
We encourage you to research and co-sponsor HR2820. This legislation is designed to protect citizens from discrimination in health care. The need for this initiative is far greater than you may think.
We look forward to hearing from you or your health care legislative aide, and to seeing your name on the list of co-sponsors of HR2820.
For more information, visit our website at
