[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 13851]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            PATIENTS DESERVE BETTER THAN NEW PROSTHETIC RULE

  (Mr. PAULSEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PAULSEN. Mr. Speaker, every day, cutting-edge medical innovation 
is making it possible for patients to live healthy, active lives. One 
of the best examples of this is lower limb prosthetics.
  Losing a limb is a traumatic and life-altering experience, but the 
continued advancement and development of prosthetics has made it 
possible for many of these patients to continue to have significant 
amounts of functionality, along with ensuring they won't be confined to 
wheelchairs.
  However, proposed changes to Medicare rules threaten access to 
important medical innovation and medical technology. Recently, a number 
of patients and advocacy groups came to Washington to share what the 
proposed rule changes would mean to them. One patient from Minnesota 
noted that the proposed rule would turn back the clock and force her to 
use a prosthetic that she claimed would be the car equivalent of a 
1970s Vega.
  Mr. Speaker, I share the apprehension that these patients have, and I 
encourage CMS, the agency in charge of administering Medicare, to chart 
a different course when it comes to administering lower limb 
prosthetics.

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