The purpose of these stories are to show lawmakers that it's more important than ever to enact preventative healthcare bills like the Lymphedema Treatment Act (LTA). Many patients are experiencing increasing difficulty managing their lymphedema due to circumstances caused by COVID-19. Insurance coverage for compression supplies will enable patients to better manage their condition at home and reduce the incidence of complications and lymphedema-related hospitalizations at a time when our healthcare system is already overburdened.
Brevity and keeping the focus on information that will support passage of the LTA is important. Here are some tips on what to include. If you are not a patient please modify accordingly:
* Include your age, the cause of your lymphedema if known, and how long you've had it. One sentence is sufficient.
* If you've contracted COVID-19, what impact has it had on your lymphedema, and conversely, do you think the virus had a more severe or longer lasting impact on you because you have lymphedema?
* How has your ability to manage your lymphedema been impacted by COVID-19 circumstances, even if you did not contract the virus? (cancelled therapy appointments, inability to purchase compression garments, etc.)
* If you've experienced a lymphedema-related complication that needed urgent medical attention and were unable to receive care or it was delayed due to COVID-19 circumstances please explain.
* How will your future ability to manage your lymphedema be impacted by COVID-19? (for example, perhaps you were able to pay out of pocket for your compression supplies before, but due to the financial impact you will not be able to in the future)
* How does lack of insurance coverage, or insufficient coverage, for compression supplies affect your ability to effectively manage your lymphedema now or even before COVID-19? (include worsening of symptoms, infections, hospitalization, loss of work, etc.)
* How would insurance coverage for compression supplies improve your ability to manage your lymphedema, your overall health, and your quality of life?
