Legislation

President Biden has announced that the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) will officially end on May 11, 2023. This PHE was initially announced in early 2020 and has been renewed in multiple 90-day increments since then, most recently on Jan. 11.   What Ending the PHE Means for    DMEPOS Suppliers There are several provisions that impact the DMEPOS industry tied to the duration of the PHE. With the official ending of the PHE now in sight, most of

Last week, President Biden signed the Omnibus bill for 2022. With the signing of this, the Lymphedema Treatment Act was approved. This is a huge victory and is another step towards making sure that everyone is treated fairly and has better access to healthcare.   This was no small victory, and so many of our EW members contributed to helping pass this bill. This has been a long road to success, but with teamwork and everyone coming together, messaging legislators, and resilience, we

Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed the Lymphedema Treatment Act. This bill will improve coverage for medical compression supplies necessary for patients suffering from lymphedema. Currently, Medicare does not cover one of the most critical therapeutic treatments for lymphedema, an incurable disease affecting 3 million Americans. Lymphedema produces an accumulation of fluid and swelling in the extremities of the body caused by damage to the lymphatic system, most commonly caused

It’s mid-September, and that means it’s time to start preparing your shop for Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM) in October. Whether it be sponsoring or participating in events and fundraisers in your local community or making yourself the go-to source for information in your community by posting Breast Cancer Awareness Month-related posts, take advantage of this opportunity to ask for support of the legislation that affects your patients and your business, including the Breast Cancer

Every woman has her own unique breast cancer journey. Cheryl’s story is no different. Diagnosed in 2004 with early stage breast cancer on the right side, she underwent a lumpectomy, had radiation treatments, and was in remission for several years. However, in 2015, Cheryl was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer on the right side, which happens to be the same side where she had her mastectomy. During the course of chemo treatments, she kept getting infections at the incision site. The infections

It's already mid-October, and your shop is probably decked out in pink with a flurry of activity from women shopping for their Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM) shirts, pins, and gear. As people rush to run in a 5k benefit or ask what they can do to help further the cause, now is a great time to ask people to support the legislation that affects your patients and your business, including the Breast Cancer Patient Equity Act and the Lymphedema Treatment Act. Over 3.8 million women in the

August of Action is officially over, and we are all prepping for the busy season, Breast Cancer Awareness Month. During the month of August, Essentially Women hosted a virtual fly-in to discuss the Breast Cancer Patient Equity Act with EW members, Senators, and Representatives from several different states.  Overall, we had 12 EW members reach out to EW and VGM Government Relations to schedule meetings with their members of Congress. Nine

June 15, 2021 WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today re-introduced legislation to ensure breast cancer patients and survivors who have experienced a mastectomy are able to access custom breast prosthetics under Medicare. The Breast Cancer Patient Equity Act of 2021 would provide coverage for custom fabricated breast prostheses—which, unlike other prosthetic devices, are not currently covered by Medicare—to

Time is a precious commodity that you cannot buy or get back. Sometimes it’s time to act and sometimes it’s time to be patient. Renee Firato’s cancer journey is all about time, taking your time, the timing of surgeries, and the timing of life events. As she was just about to graduate from high school, Renee had her wisdom teeth removed and did not recover well, which ended up leading to the discovery of acute myelogenous leukemia. Within one week of getting her port placed on

May 11, 2021 WASHINGTON — U.S. Representatives Judy Chu (CA-27) and Jackie Walorski (IN-2) today re-introduced legislation to ensure breast cancer patients and survivors who have experienced a mastectomy are able to access custom breast prosthetics under Medicare. The Breast Cancer Patient Equity Act would provide coverage for custom fabricated breast prostheses, the only human body part not currently covered by Medicare, to the more than 144,000 women who undergo mastectomies annually. “Breast