Medicare Therapy Caps Legislation

This Action Alert asked members of Congress to repeal the caps on Medicare therapy services. Under current Medicare rules (in 2012), beneficiaries can receive up to $1,880 per year of speech and physical therapy (combined) and another $1,880 for occupational therapy provided in outpatient settings. Two bills were introduced in the 112^th Congress to eliminate these caps and let stroke survivors and their physicians determine the appropriate level of care needed for recovery, not an arbitrary limit based on cost. This action alert urged members of Congress to support these bills and vote for them if they had the opportunity to do so.

What happened?

Stroke Advocacy Network members sent nearly 2,000 messages to Congress on this issue. The House version of the bill was introduced by Representative Jim Gerlach (R-PA) and was co-sponsored by nearly 40 percent of all members of the House. Co-sponsoring a bill allows members of Congress to show support for the bill before it comes up for a vote. The Senate version was introduced by Senator Benjamin Cardin (D-MD) and had 22 co-sponsors (out of 100 senators). Unfortunately, these bills were not enacted into law in the 112^th Congress.

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Congressional Briefing on Afib and Stroke in Women

This Action Alert asked members of Congress to participate or send their healthcare staff to a briefing about atrial fibrillation (Afib) and stroke in women on September 11, 2012. National Stroke Association participated in this briefing along with several other organizations representing a cross-section of the stroke community. Read more about this briefing.

What happened?

This alert was posted on the Stroke Advocacy Network website for two weeks prior to the briefing. In that short amount of time, nearly 475 network members sent more than 1,500 messages to members of Congress. Your voices were heard! Seventeen members of Congress sent staff members to the briefing, and Representative Lois Capps (D-CA) personally attended to show her strong, continuing support for the stroke community. Why is this significant? Members of Congress make decisions about healthcare policy that impact the stroke community in many ways, from funding stroke-related medical research to providing access to rehabilitation services. It’s important that your members of Congress understand how stroke impacts you so they can make informed decisions about these policies. Thank you to network members who responded to this alert!

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Virtual Lobby Days 2012

This Action Alert asked members of Congress to:

• Repeal the caps on Medicare therapy services and support the extension of the exceptions process until that occurs;
• Support respite care services;
• Support National Aphasia Awareness Month; and
• Overcome health disparities by focusing on conditions such as stroke that disproportionately impact minority populations.

What happened?

Virtual Lobby Days lasted two weeks—June 18-29, 2012. During that time, more than 1,270 Stroke Advocacy Network members took part, sending more than 4,450 messages to members of Congress. Those messages came from every state in the U.S. and made their way to almost every office on Capitol Hill. The U.S. Senate passed a resolution designating June 2012 as National Aphasia Awareness Month. All of the other bills listed above are still pending before Congress. Stay tuned for more news about their progress.

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Medicare Therapy Caps Exceptions Process

This Action Alert asked Congress to ensure that stroke survivors covered under Medicare have access to adequate therapy services so they can recover to their fullest potential. Under current Medicare rules, beneficiaries can receive up to $1,880 per year of speech and physical therapy (combined) and another $1,880 for occupational therapy provided in non-hospital, outpatient settings (in 2012). Beneficiaries who require more services can use an exceptions process to obtain them before the start of the next year. However, this exceptions process was set to expire—first on December 31, 2011 and then on February 29, 2012. Therefore, the Action Alert asked Congress to reauthorize (i.e., extend) the exceptions process, maintaining access to therapy services above the cap for stroke survivors on Medicare.

What happened?

Stroke Advocacy Network members sent over 10,400 messages to Congress on this issue and your voices were heard! Congress and the President extended the exceptions process twice. A two-month extension was enacted (from December 31, 2011 to February 29, 2012) in a last minute deal agreed to at the end of 2011. Congress then continued discussions on the issue in early 2012, finally extending the exceptions process through 2012.

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World Stroke Day 2011

This Action Alert asked members of Congress to speak out about stroke to honor World Stroke Day on October 29, 2011. It specifically asked them to make a statement on the House or Senate floor (as seen on C-SPAN) or to submit an extension of remarks in the Congressional Record, which is the official record of congressional activities.

What happened?

Over 450 Stroke Advocacy Network members responded to this Action Alert, sending over 1,500 messages to members of Congress. Those messages came from individuals in 44 different states. The following members of Congress took action based on your messages:

• Rep. Lois Capps (CA) submitted an extension of remarks. Read it here.
• Rep. Virginia Foxx (NC) submitted an extension of remarks. Read it here.
• Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (NY) submitted an extension of remarks. Read it here.
• Rep. John Larson (CT) posted messages on his Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/RepJohnLarson) and Twitter account (@RepJohnLarson).

Find out if any of these members of Congress represent you by visiting our Find Your Legislators page. If they represent you, please contact them to say thank you for supporting the stroke community. You can contact them using these links: Rep. Lois Capps, Rep. Virginia Foxx, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy and Rep. John Larson.

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Virtual Lobby Days 2011

This Action Alert asked members of Congress to:

• Maintain federal funding for medical research related to stroke to reduce the incidence of stroke in the future;
• Eliminate the annual cap on Medicare coverage for physical, speech and occupational therapy so stroke survivors get the vital rehabilitation therapy they need to regain their quality of life;
• Allow Medicare Part D to cover off-label uses for prescription drugs so stroke survivors have access to all medically appropriate treatments; and
• Help improve women’s ability to prevent and control chronic diseases, including stroke.

What happened?

The Virtual Lobby Days event lasted nine days—from June 23-July 1, 2011. During that time, over 400 Stroke Advocacy Network members took part, sending over 1,200 messages to members of Congress. Those messages came from individuals in the stroke community located in 45 states and the District of Columbia. These communications supported our Lobby Day efforts in Washington, D.C., where advocates met with 60 congressional offices. In each office, advocates asked their members of Congress for the same policy changes requested in this Action Alert. All of these issues are still pending before Congress. We’ll keep you posted as they continue to make their way through the legislative process.

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National Stroke Awareness Month 2011

This Action Alert asked members of Congress to speak out about stroke during May to honor National Stroke Awareness Month. It specifically asked them to make a statement on the House or Senate floor (as seen on C-SPAN) or to submit an extension of remarks in the Congressional Record, which is the official record of congressional activities.

What happened?

Rep. Lois Capps (CA) responded to this call. Read her remarks here. If you’re a constituent of Rep. Capps, please thank her for speaking out about stroke on the House floor by contacting her office. Find out if Rep. Capps represents you by visiting our Find Your Legislators page.

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CMS stroke measures

This Action Alert asked members of Congress to contact the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and encourage them to adopt a set of universally accepted stroke care guidelines.

What happened?

CMS recently proposed a regulation that included a set of eight stroke measures (i.e., indicators of stroke risk). The regulation requires hospitals to report on these measures beginning in 2015 in order to receive their Medicare inflation update (i.e., an increase in their reimbursement rates). This regulation was adopted by CMS.

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