Letter to the Editor: 02-02-20

Support Insurance Fairness for Amputees Act

On March 1, 2019, I was struck by a garbage truck in Kailua-Kona. After many surgeries on both legs, my right leg was amputated below the knee. Becoming someone affected by limb loss has motivated me to create a community inspired to be and do more than we have been made to believe. My main initiative is to introduce Insurance Fairness for Amputees Act to the state of Hawaii.

There are 2.1 million Americans living with limb loss, with 185,000 people having an amputation each year, and 507 people losing a limb each day. Like me, these people are having to adapt and drastically experience a change in life. Insurance will not allow me a prosthesis consisting of a microprocessor ankle. For someone who has been athletic their whole life, to be limited in the range of movement or ability to participate in certain activities for lack of such a device seems unfair. I have a 3-year-old daughter who I cannot take into the water, nor assist if needed because of the limitations of not having a water-proof prosthesis. Why does insurance not only put a cap on our quality of life but the necessities?

There are 21 states who have passed Insurance Fairness for Amputees laws. Hawaii is not yet one of them. The Insurance Fairness for Amputees Act would create fair insurance coverage for prosthetic and custom orthotic devices. Common caps and restrictions on prosthetic devices have historically included: $1,000, $2,500, or $5,000 per year, “One limb per lifetime,” and exclusions for microprocessor-controlled devices. I ask the reader to consider themselves or a loved one having to face the possibility of limb loss. What would you want for them, for yourself?

You can become more aware and involved in advocating for the limb loss community by visiting the website of the Amputee Coalition at www.amputee-coalition.org. April is also Limb Loss Awareness Month. Locally, we are aiming to hold a rally at the state Capitol. If you would like to be involved with this event, email AdvocateLimbLoss@gmail.com.

Arms and legs are not a luxury. We all deserve to be and do more than we have been made to believe.

Heather Shorey

Kailua-Kona