[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 140 (Monday, November 17, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H8019]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES RESCINDS PROHIBITION ON 
                  SPEECH-GENERATING DEVICES UNLOCKING

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, currently, more than 113 
million Americans are facing long-term disease or disability. 
Significant policy advancements have recently been signed into law to 
encourage the development of drugs for those with limited medical 
options and continued efforts to get advanced diagnostic tests to 
patients more quickly. Yet a segment of the population remains who are 
in the midst of an ongoing struggle.
  As someone who spent most of my professional career serving those 
with life-changing disease and disability, a shared goal of health care 
providers is to improve the quality of life for their patients. This is 
particularly true when it comes to those with limited speech, whether 
they have suffered from stroke, trauma, or progressive neurological 
diseases such as ALS, MS, or Huntington's.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that after years of recommendations, 
earlier this month the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has 
lifted prohibitions on unlocking of speech-generating devices from 
accessing our technologies such as email or Internet access.
  Moving forward, our goals should be the continued empowerment of 
those facing disease and disability, to ensure their dignity, mobility, 
and communication abilities can be enhanced in our modern world.

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