UOAA's Action Center l United Ostomy Associations of America

UOAA’s Advocacy Legislative Priorities

Learn More About UOAA’s Priority Issues That Ostomy Activists Are Advocating For Right Now.

FEDERAL LEVEL:

Patient-Centered Access to Care

UOAA urges legislators and federal agency officials to implement policy and regulations that benefit patient-centered access to care, strengthen the patient-provider decision-making relationship, and minimize patient out-of-pocket costs.

In conjunction with Digestive Diseases National Coalition (DDNC) efforts we continue to monitor US healthcare reform and will work to ensure preservation of basic patient protections from the Affordable Care Act including eliminating insurer discrimination against pre-existing conditions, establishing out of pocket maximums for covered services, and allowing young adults to stay on their parents’ insurance until the age of 26. These protections have made it possible for persons living with an ostomy or continent diversion to obtain insurance coverage and protect them from stratospheric medical bills.

With the DDNC, UOAA also supports passage of the following legislation during the 115th Congress:

* Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act (H.R. 1017/S. 479) – This would eliminate cost-sharing for initial and follow-up colorectal cancer screening tests for Medicare beneficiaries.

* Restoring the Patient’s Voice Act (H.R. 2077) – This would establish guidelines for appealing step therapy protocols under ERISA health plans.

* Patients’ Access to Treatments Act (H.R. 2999) – This would establish cost-sharing limits for health plans that cover prescription drugs under a formulary or tiered cost sharing structure.

Opposition Statement On Medicare Competitive Bidding Program

Update as of July 2018

As a stakeholder in the Access and Care Coalition, UOAA is actively working with all of the stakeholder members to maintain the current Medicare reimbursement system for ostomy and urological products. Recently the coalition retained a lobbying group to increase efforts to prevent the expansion of the Medicare Competitive Bidding program to ostomy and urological supplies. Read this press release.

Of important note this has not started moving forward in Congress.

No current action is necessary from ostomates at this time.

We will continue to provide updates as they become available.

Read More >>

Read the White Paper >>

Read the Access and Care Coalition Position Statement >>