[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 93 (Thursday, July 11, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1236]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          INTRODUCTION OF THE ALOPECIA FAIRNESS EXPANSION ACT

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                          HON. LYNN N. RIVERS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 11, 2002

  Ms. RIVERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Alopecia 
Fairness Expansion Act of 2002.
  Last year I introduced the Alopecia Areata Fairness Act, a bill 
requiring private insurance plans to cover hairpieces for victims of 
alopecia, a disease causing partial or total hair loss. Today, I am 
happy to introduce this companion bill requiring that Federal health 
programs provide coverage of hairpieces for alopecia victims.
  Over 4 million Americans suffer from alopecia, some losing small 
amounts of hair and some all of it. The onset most often begins in 
childhood, and it can be psychologically devastating. Children with the 
disease are often teased in school, and adults frequently have trouble 
in the workplace. Many people with alopecia must purchase hairpieces to 
keep their jobs or to avoid ostracism. Yet private and public insurance 
plans often discriminate between people who suffer from alopecia and 
those losing hair because of cancer or other diseases, refusing to 
cover alopecia victims.
  My first bill, the Alopecia Areata Fairness Act (H.R. 547), would 
take a critical step toward changing this by requiring insurance 
companies to cover a hairpiece as a prosthetic device, provided a 
doctor prescribes it as a medical necessity.
  My new bill, the Alopecia Fairness Expansion Act of 2002, would 
extend this fairness to victims of alopecia who receive medical care 
through Federal health care programs and who would not be helped by 
H.R. 547 alone. It would require that Federal health programs cover 
hairpieces for people suffering from alopecia when prescribed by a 
doctor as a medical necessity. These programs include Medicare, 
Medicaid, TRICARE, the State Children's Health Insurance Program 
(SCHIP), the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), 
veterans health care programs, and the Indian Health Service (IHS).
  We already recognize the difficulties associated with hair loss and 
provide prosthetic hairpieces to patients who lose their hair due to 
cancer treatment. Let's do the same for victims of alopecia. I urge my 
colleagues to join me as cosponsors of this bill.

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