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--------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "Laura Eckart" <[log in to unmask]> Date: Tue, 30 Jul 2002 12:51:00 -0500 Subject: Press Conference tomorrow FYI: Joan Samuelson, President, Parkinson's Action Network will join Senators Ensign, R-NV and Lincoln,D-AK, tomorrow in a press conference to kick off a National Campaign to Repeal Medicare Therapy Caps. If you are in the Washington DC area please come and show your support on this important issue. Attached are PAN's press release on talking points. Please let me know if you have any questions. Hope to see you tomorrow! Thanks, Laura Eckart When: Wednesday, July 31st, 2002 Where: Senate Swamp (across the street from Russell SOB; Delaware and Constitution Ave. by Russell fountain) Time: 10:00 am #### FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Eckart 703-518-8600 Melissa Narins 703-780-0880 Parkinson's Action Network Joins in Kick-Off of National Campaign to Repeal Medicare Therapy Caps PAN Calls on Congress to Pass Legislation to Permanently Repeal Caps Washington, DC -- The Parkinson’s Action Network (PAN) joined Senators John Ensign (R-NV) and Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), other patient advocates and providers at a press conference on Capitol Hill today to kick-off the August recess grassroots campaign to repeal the Medicare outpatient therapy caps. PAN urged Congress to permanently repeal the Medicare rehabilitation therapy caps that are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2003 by passing The Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act (S. 1394), sponsored by Senators Ensign and Lincoln. “Parkinson's is a movement disorder that, day by day, beats up the body's ability to move smoothly, with strength and balance,” said Joan Samuelson, President of the Parkinson’s Action Network. “Over time, with currently available medication, gait becomes irregular, muscles lose their needed shape, and strength and balance are impaired. “There is substantial evidence that physical therapy and exercise work against this deterioration, restoring function for weeks, months and even years. To someone coping, as I do, with Parkinson's, this translates into substantial time available to continue working, functioning independently and living with dignity. Physical therapy for Parkinson's patients brings a huge return, in the form of continued employment and lesser dependence on government support. At the same time, it is priceless: there is probably nothing more important to us, the million Americans who suffer with Parkinson's, than staying involved in the functioning world.” “The Medicare rehabilitation caps on these sorts of treatments are not only pound-foolish, they are wrong-headed and cruel. We hope that patients and health care providers across the country will make their voices heard on this important issue during the August recess when Senators are in their states.” The $1,500 caps on occupational therapy and physical and speech-language therapy care will be implemented on January 1, 2003, unless Congress acts to repeal them. The House-passed Medicare proposal (H.R. 4954) includes a two-year extension of an existing moratorium on the therapy caps. Congress has twice placed the caps under a moratorium since January 1, 2000. “We applaud the leadership of Senators Ensign and Lincoln who are working hard to gain support for their legislation that would repeal the caps once and for all,” Samuelson added. The Parkinson’s Action Network (PAN) is the unified advocacy voice of the Parkinson’s community, fighting for a cure within five years. Through education and interaction with the Parkinson’s community, scientists, policy and opinion leaders, and the public at large, PAN advocates for increased and accelerated investment of public resources to ease the burden and bring a cure to the million Americans who suffer from Parkinson’s. ### Laura Eckart Deputy Education and Advocacy Director Parkinson's Action Network p: 703-518-8877 f: 703-518-0673 DON’T LET THE MEDICARE BENEFICIARY REHABILITATION THERAPY CAP COME BACK! Unless Congress acts, beneficiaries will, again, face arbitrary limits on their rehabilitation therapy care. On January 1, 2003, the Medicare outpatient beneficiary caps on rehabilitation therapy will take effect. These $1,500 beneficiary caps on (1) occupational therapy and (2) physical and speech-language therapy care combined will negatively impact care for our nation’s seniors. The caps were partially implemented in 1999, but Congress has since twice placed such implementation under a moratorium until the end of this year. It is time to repeal these beneficiary caps once and for all! Approximately 12-13% of beneficiaries needing therapy care will exceed the annual caps. Both MedPAC and independent analyses have demonstrated that nearly 1 out of 7 of such beneficiaries would exceed the beneficiary cap. If the cap comes back, beneficiaries may self-ration care or be forced to forgo medically necessary care altogether once the cap is exceeded. The cap would negatively impact beneficiaries who suffer from stroke or other circulatory-related ailments, Parkinson’s disease and musculoskeletal disorders. One analysis conducted in 1999 on the impact of the therapy cap during the first 2 months (based on actual Medicare claims) illustrated the following: · Of those who exceeded the $1,500 cap for occupational therapy, 46% were beneficiaries who suffered from stroke-related ailments and 23% were those who had osteoarthritis and related musculoskeletal disorders. · Of those who exceeded the $1,500 cap for physical/speech-language therapy, 43% were beneficiaries who suffered from both stroke- and heart-related circulatory ailments and 28% were those who had osteoarthritis and related musculoskeletal disorders. It will be the older and more vulnerable beneficiaries who will be most impacted by the therapy cap. As beneficiaries continue to age and encounter multiple health problems, they are more likely to be the ones to exceed the cap. DON’T LET THE MEDICARE BENEFICIARY REHABILITATION THERAPY CAP COME BACK! Cosponsors of S. 1394 Ensign (R-NV) Sep. 4, 2001 Lincoln (D-AR) Mar. 4, 2002 Helms (R-NC) Mar. 6, 2002 Johnson (D-SD) Mar. 6, 2002 Landrieu (D-LA) Mar. 6, 2002 Murray (D-WA) Mar. 6, 2002 Hutchinson (R-AR) Mar. 14, 2002 Collins (R-ME) May 2, 2002 Bingaman (D-NM) May 2, 2002 Hollings (D-SC) May 9, 2002 Smith (R-NH) May 15, 2002 Dorgan (D-ND) June 4, 2002 Cleland (D-GA) June 5, 2002 Rockefeller (D-WV) June 11, 2002 Stabenow (D-MI) June 19, 2002 Reid (D-NV) June 26, 2002 Durbin (D-IL) June 26, 2002 Kennedy (D-MA) June 27, 2002 Kerry (D-MA) June 27, 2002 Torricelli (D-NJ) June 27, 2002 Miller (D-GA) July 9, 2002 Specter (R-PA) July 11, 2002 Mikulski (D-MD) July 11, 2002 Corzine (D-NJ) July 15, 2002 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn