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 December 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, UOAA joined several coalition members in DC to meet with CMS and key legislative offices. We were able to share what it means to live with an ostomy and why product choice is so important. By allowing people in these meetings to handle actual product samples we also left a greater impression.

Overall, we were very pleased with the information we elicited from CMS and we confirmed that they are focused on other areas (ventilators, off the shelf back braces and off the shelf knee braces) for the present time (at least until 2021) for potential expansion of the CBP program.

We will continue to be vigilant on this issue and educate key decision-makers on how this impacts people living with an ostomy so that all ostomates have access to the ostomy supplies that they need.

No current action is necessary from ostomates at this time.

We will provide further updates as they become available.

Read More >>

Read the White Paper >>

Read the Access and Care Coalition Position Statement >>