It’s been a long journey and we’ve made immense progress. There are several reasons why we are hopeful that this is the year we will see the Lymphedema Treatment Act signed into law:
- During the last Congress, the House of Representatives passed the LTA.Unfortunately, the pandemic struck soon after, and the Senate did not take up the bill. Although it will have to be passed by the House again in this Congress, because that does not carry over, prior passage does give the bill more momentum.
- The LTA aligns with several of the key priorities for this administration:expanding Medicare coverage, making healthcare more equitable, and reducing out of pocket prescription costs. There is no pharmaceutical for lymphedema; compression therapy is akin to the drug therapy that is needed to manage most other chronic conditions.
- The re-launching of the Cancer Moonshot is a boon to our efforts. This initiative brings heightened awareness of and support for all things cancer-related, and with cancer treatment being a leading cause of lymphedema, this elevates the importance of our issue.
- We can now prove that the LTA will not only improve patient outcomes, but also save money while doing so. Last year our group commissioned Avalere Health to analyze the potential cost saving that would result through enactment of the LTA. Their analysis showed that improved access to care will result in a significant reduction in lymphedema-related complications, and is estimated to save the Medicare program more than $130 million dollars a year through prevented lymphedema-related hospitalizations. Savings would also result for private insurers and other public policies. This evidence for cost savings is significant, because the greatest hurdle a noncontroversial bill like the LTA faces is the cost. Our ability to now provide evidence for the inherent savings that would offset the costs is a powerful asset.
Our government functions at a frustratingly slow pace. A small bill like ours takes an average of 11 years to get passed! Typically, by the time you hear about a bill, there are many years of work that went into getting that issue to the forefront. It’s no different for us.
It’s been a long road, but if we don’t speak up and fight for this, who will? Law makers can’t know how important this is to millions of Americans with lymphedema unless we tell them.
Please send an email to your congressional offices – AGAIN if you already have – because they should be hearing from you every month! We just entered a new month, so send yours today.
To get the Lymphedema Treatment Act across the finish line in 2022, we need everyone’s active participation on a regular basis. Your constituent voice is incredibly powerful, especially in an election year. Thank you for your advocacy!
Heather Ferguson
Founder & Executive Director
Lymphedema Advocacy Group
LymphedemaTreatmentAct.org
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