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National
Disability and Seniors organizations Decision to Provide Medicare
Coverage of Therapy WASHINGTON, Jan. 29, 2004 -- Leading advocates applauded a federal decision that will help protect millions of senior citizens from losing their eyesight. Today, the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the American Council of the Blind (ACB) and the Gray Panthers commended the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for providing Medicare coverage of ocular photodynamic therapy (OPT) with verteporfin for the treatment of occult age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
AMD involves the destruction of a
person's central vision, and is the leading cause of blindness among
people over the age of 50. AMD can progress very quickly and cause such
dramatic vision loss that an affected person can become legally blind
within only a short time after initial diagnosis. That is why the
coverage decision is so important to so many. Secretary Thompson said it best in
October 2001, when CMS' originally made a decision to provide coverage,
saying, "By expanding access to this important new treatment, we
are improving the quality of life for many Medicare beneficiaries."
This therapy will allow many seniors to significantly slow sight loss
and retain very usable vision, thus freeing limited federal and state
resources to provide the services that others defined as legally blind
need to learn the techniques and skills to compensate for their sight
loss. "Access to this therapy will allow many seniors to
substantially retard sight loss and retain very usable vision along with
their independence," said AAPD President and CEO Andrew J. Imparato. "We applaud CMS' decision to
expand Medicare coverage of the only effective treatment for this
disease," said Melanie Brunson, Acting Executive Director of
American Council of the Blind. "This resolution will give all
Americans access to treatment, regardless of income." Will Thomas of the Gray Panthers
states that, "Expanding coverage to help prevent AMD is the right
thing to do, not just for social and health policy, but for fiscal
policy reasons as well." About ACB About AAPD |
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