Medicare recipients will continue to receive critical outpatient therapy without fear of having to pay out-of-pocket costs.
- Get outpatient therapy while the getting’s good!
- Medicare outpatient therapy caps lifted until October, 2010.
In a move that calms the waters, at least for now, the Senate has voted to exempt the Medicare outpatient therapy caps until October 1, 2010. The caps (for speech, physical, and occupational therapies), which went into effect on January 1, 2010 only allow just over $1,800 per year for therapies. People with disabilities and chronic conditions were exceeding that cap in the first two months of the year. The caps have caused many Medicare recipients, not only to give up on pursuing beneficial treatments, but to stress over their future health and well-being.
As a temporary fix, the Senate has passed legislation that will, among other things:
- allows coverage for Medicare outpatient therapy until at least October 1, 2010,
- continues the current level of physician reimbursement coverage until October 1, 2010,
- extends the temporary federal Medicaid assistance to states until June 2011, and
- continues extra unemployment benefits and COBRA assistance to help people who are unemployed maintain the ability to purchase health insurance.
The Senate also voted to extend the increased Medicaid assistance to states until June 2011. Many states are still reeling from the recession and are facing extreme cuts to Medicaid programs that include community-based programs that allow people with disabilities to live in the community.
While we are pleased that the Senate has recognized the importance of receiving needed therapies, we would like to see a permanent “fix” that would remove the therapy caps. It is now up to the House to act on the measure.
We will continue advocating through grassroots and direct contacts with Congress with the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities and the Medicare Therapy Cap Coalition on behalf of Medicare recipients. This will ensure many people have access to therapies that will improve their quality of life and independence, without having to worry about how to pay for it.
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Glad to have the information re therapy caps. Would appreciate knowing what Senate bill this action was a part of. I think if information like this is disseminated (a good thing) all the facts should be included like a reference to actual legislation involved. Thanks for your good work….