SAN JOSE, Calif., June 25 /PRNewswire/ -- The Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis (CPF) today announced its support for legislation recently introduced by Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) that would provide Americans under the age of 65 with life-threatening diseases immediate access to Medicare benefits. Under existing Medicare coverage guidelines, most disabled and seriously ill Americans under the age of 65 must wait two years before qualifying for Medicare benefits.
The “Ending the Medicare Disability Waiting Period Act of 2004" (S. 2566) would waive the Medicare waiting period immediately for people with life- threatening diseases - such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) - and phase out the waiting period over the next 10 years for other disabilities. This legislation is critical to IPF patients and their families who often can’t afford waiting for Medicare coverage.
“This disease has a devastating prognosis with a median survival rate of less than three years, yet IPF patients must wait two years - in some cases all of their remaining life - before they can qualify for Medicare and receive the benefits for the care they need,” said Mark Shreve, chief operating officer of the CPF.
IPF patients often don’t have two years to wait for coverage, and if they do, they still need access to a variety of healthcare services to maintain their quality of life. Due to the disease’s progressive nature, in some cases IPF patients are unable to work and must go on disability shortly after diagnosis. Without a job and insurance to help pay for healthcare, many patients literally can’t afford the 24-month wait to receive Medicare coverage.
A similar bill was passed in 2000 granting exception to the Medicare waiting period for patients suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS), a neuromuscular disorder affecting approximately 30,000 people in the United States. Currently, there are more than 83,000 people living with IPF in the United States, and an estimated 31,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.
“At this time there is no known cause or cure for IPF, but Congress can help ease the burden of this terrible disease by giving IPF patients and others with life-threatening diseases immediate access to Medicare, much as it did for ALS,” added Shreve.
The CPF is working with its partners and the National Organization of Rare Disease Disorders to support Senator Bingaman’s legislation. The CPF is urging its 6,500 members, and all those affected by IPF, to contact their U.S. senators and representatives about supporting the “Ending the Medicare Disability Waiting Period Act of 2004.”
About Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
IPF is a devastating and ultimately fatal lung disorder that often goes misdiagnosed or undiagnosed. It is characterized by a progressive scarring- known as fibrosis - and deterioration of the lungs which slowly robs its victims of their ability to breathe. For the approximately 83,000 Americans who suffer from IPF - nearly double the number of cystic fibrosis patients - there is currently no known cause or cure, and an estimated 31,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. IPF is difficult to diagnose and an estimated two- thirds of patients die within five years of diagnosis.
About the Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis
The Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis (CPF) is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization, founded in 2001 to further education, patient support and research efforts for pulmonary fibrosis, specifically idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The CPF is governed by the nation’s leading pulmonologists, individuals affected by pulmonary fibrosis, medical research professionals and advocacy organizations. The CPF’s nonprofit partners include the Mary D. Harris Memorial Foundation, The Pulmonary Paper, the Caring Voice Coalition, Second Wind Lung Transplant Association, the National Coalition of Autoimmune Patient Groups, and more than 30 leading IPF treatment and research centers nationwide. For more information on CPF, please visit http://www.coalitionforpf.org/ or call (888) 222-8541.
About the Ending the Medicare Disability Waiting Period Act of 2004 (S. 2566)
S.2566 - A bill to amend title II of the Social Security Act to phase out the 24-month waiting period for disabled individuals to become eligible for Medicare benefits, to eliminate the waiting period for individuals with life-threatening conditions, and for other purposes.
When Medicare was expanded in 1972 to include people who have significant disabilities, lawmakers created a “Medicare waiting period.” Before they can get Medicare coverage, people with disabilities must first receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) for 24 months. Generally, SSDI begins five months after an individual’s disability has been certified. As a result, people with disabilities face three consecutive waiting periods prior to getting health coverage: (1) a determination of SSDI approval from the Social Security Administration; (2) a five-month waiting period to receive SSDI; and, (3) another 24-month waiting period to get Medicare coverage.
Senators Bingaman, Corzine, Lautenberg, Stabenow, Clinton, Johnson, Mikulski, Durbin, and Dayton have introduced the “Ending the Medicare Disability Waiting Period Act of 2004.” The bill would, over 10 years, completely phase-out the two-year waiting period that Americans with disabilities must endure before receiving Medicare coverage. The legislation also creates a process by which the Secretary can immediately waive the waiting period for people with life-threatening illnesses.
Website: http://www.coalitionforpf.org
Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis
CONTACT: Jill Favilla for Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis,+1-952-346-6103, jfavilla@webershandwick.com