[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5936 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5936

  To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to require States to 
  provide hair prostheses under the Medicaid Program for individuals 
                    diagnosed with alopecia areata.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 30, 2008

 Mrs. Wilson of New Mexico (for herself and Ms. Eshoo) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to require States to 
  provide hair prostheses under the Medicaid Program for individuals 
                    diagnosed with alopecia areata.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Alopecia Areata Medicaid Improvement 
and Parity Act of 2008''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds as follows:
            (1) Alopecia areata is a highly unpredictable, autoimmune 
        skin disease resulting in the loss of hair on the scalp and 
        elsewhere on the body.
            (2) Approximately 5,000 Medicaid recipients suffer from the 
        most severe forms of the condition, alopecia areata universalis 
        or alopecia areata totalis, which are characterized by the 
        total, or near total, loss of all body and scalp hair.
            (3) Adults with alopecia areata universalis and totalis 
        have lost jobs, been harassed or accused of belonging to 
        extremist cults because of their hair loss. Children with the 
        condition have been moved to special education classes and 
        ostracized by their peers.
            (4) Dermatologists consider it entirely appropriate and 
        necessary that patients with alopecia areata be reimbursed for 
        a hair prosthesis. Dermatologists also state that the need for 
        a hair prosthesis is much the same as the need for a leg 
        prosthesis and is sometimes the best therapeutic alternative 
        available.
            (5) Twelve States already provide Medicaid coverage for 
        hair prostheses for people with alopecia areata because these 
        devices are considered medically necessary when prescribed by a 
        physician.

SEC. 3. IMPROVEMENT OF ALOPECIA AREATA COVERAGE UNDER MEDICAID.

    (a) In General.--Section 1902(a)(10) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1396a(a)(10)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``and'' at the end of subparagraph (F);
            (2) by adding ``and'' at the end of subparagraph (G); and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
                    ``(H) that if medical assistance is included for 
                inpatient hospital services for an individual, then the 
                plan must include making medical assistance available 
                to the individual for annual coverage of one scalp hair 
                prosthesis if the individual is diagnosed with alopecia 
                areata universalis or alopecia areata totalis or if the 
                individual's attending physician certifies in writing 
                the medical necessity of that proposed course of 
                rehabilitative treatment;''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall 
apply with respect to items furnished on or after January 1, 2009, 
without regard to whether or not final regulations to carry out such 
amendments have been promulgated by such date.
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