[acbny-l] Fw: Today's Press Release: Settlement Reached on Medicare Appeals
- From: "Frank Casey" <frcasey@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "acbny acbny" <acbny-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 27 May 2003 17:37:46 -0400
Greetings,
Below, please find an important press release concerning Medicare, from the
ACB National Office.
Best Regards,
Frank Casey
frcasey@xxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>
> CONTACT:
> Charles Crawford, ACB
> 202.467.5081
>
> Andrew J. Imparato, AAPD
> 202.457.0046
>
> Tim Fuller, Gray Panthers
> 202.737.6637
>
> SETTLEMENT REACHED WITH MEDICARE IN SUIT OVER LACK OF APPEALS
>
> Washington, DC, May 27, 2003 - Today, the American Association of People
> with Disabilities (AAPD), the American Council of the Blind (ACB), and the
> Gray Panthers along with individual Medicare beneficiaries reached a
> settlement agreement with the Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS)
> and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) allowing Medicare
> beneficiaries renewed hope of access to the only effective treatment
> available to treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with occult
> lesions. The disability and senior organizations filed suit in federal
> court on August 6, 2002 seeking to challenge CMS' erroneous decision to
deny
> Medicare coverage for ocular photodynamic therapy (OPT) with verteporfin
> (Visudyne) for the treatment of AMD with occult lesions as well as HHS'
> failure to implement an appeals process for National Coverage
Determinations
> (NCDs) as required by Congress. The settlement agreement includes a
public
> review of Medicare's denial of coverage for this standard of care
> treatment - a treatment that is already covered by Medicare for other
forms
> of AMD - by September 2003. The agreement also provides that the
litigation
> may be re-filed should HHS fail to implement a statutorily mandated
appeals
> process for all NCDs by October 31, 2003.
>
> AMD is the leading cause of blindness for Americans over the age of 50 and
> is estimated to affect over 10 million Americans of all ages. While
> Medicare currently covers AMD with classic lesions, patients diagnosed
with
> AMD with occult lesions are left without treatment options. "Currently
> thousands of Medicare beneficiaries are threatened with impending vision
> loss due to their inability to afford treatment," said Charles Crawford,
> Executive Director of the American Council of the Blind. "Medicare's
> agreement to review its non-coverage decision on OPT with verteporfin
> provides a ray of hope to these individuals and takes us one step closer
to
> ensuring an open and fair process for all Medicare coverage
determinations."
> Added Andrew J. Imparato, President and CEO of the American Association of
> People with Disabilities, "[t]his settlement is important not just for the
> individual named plaintiffs and others who need a procedure to treat
> age-related macular degeneration with occult lesions. More broadly, the
> settlement underscores the importance of CMS' having a fair and timely
> process whereby Medicare beneficiaries are provided an opportunity to
plead
> their case when a CMS national coverage determination leaves them at risk
of
> injury, serious health problems, or death."
>
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