Yesterday, at the request of Virginia Orthotic & Prosthetic Association, AOPA staff joined the Amputee Coalition to testify in front of the Labor and Commerce subcommittee of the Virginia House of Delegates in support of HB 503. This bill (first introduced in 2019) would mandate health insurance coverage for mechanical, bionic prosthetics that have a Medicare code under all Virginia state regulated health plans.
AOPA testified that, “The existing Insurance Fairness law has made it possible for Virginians living with limb loss and limb difference to receive care that would have otherwise been arbitrarily denied or capped, but it does not extend this guarantee of coverage to the most vulnerable individuals in our community. It also fails to secure access for patients to the most medically appropriate prosthetic devices for the restoration of mobility. Passage of this Bill will rectify these shortcomings.”
Following the hearing the legislation was recommended to be continued to the next session, upon the recommendation that the Health Insurance Reform Commission (HIRC) continue to review the impacts of the Bill, per its mandate.
The Senate companion bill, SB 382 passed out of the subcommittee and is now on the docket in the Senate Finance Committee.
Questions? Contact Justin Beland AOPA’s Director of Government Affairs at jbeland@AOPAnet.org.