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Pennsylvania House of Representatives
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&SPick=20170&cosponId=21792
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House of Representatives
Session of 2017 - 2018 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: January 5, 2017 01:56 PM
From: Representative Thomas P. Murt
To: All House members
Subject: Covered Service Requirements under Medical Assistance for Cognitive Rehabilitation Therapy (Prior HB 1015)
 
I am planning to reintroduce legislation that would require cognitive rehabilitation therapy to be a covered service when medically necessary under the Medical Assistance program.

Awareness about brain injury has grown in recent years with the recognition of sports concussions in students and athletes in addition to blast concussions suffered by military personnel. While a growing number of Pennsylvanians are diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, Medical Assistance does not include coverage for their recovery.

Cognitive rehabilitation services are an effective therapy for brain injury recovery. This therapy is essential to prevent individuals from remaining disabled throughout their entire lives and can assist individuals in compensating for a brain injury’s impact on daily living. Further, many of our troops returning from military service are in need of cognitive rehabilitation therapy services in order to continue their lives as civilians.

Despite the evidence demonstrating the benefits of this therapy, only a small number of private insurers include cognitive rehabilitation therapy as a covered service. Most often, these payers have long-term responsibility for the health and welfare of the individual who has been injured. Further, many third-party payers including Medicare and Medical Assistance (Medicaid) state that these services are covered but restrict scope, duration, timing and intensity of service and make no provision for cognitive treatment as life circumstances change. My legislation would ensure Medical Assistance recipients have access to these needed services.

Previous Cosponsors: V. BROWN, COHEN, FLYNN, HARHAI, HARKINS, McCARTER, ROZZI, SCHLOSSBERG and WATSON



Introduced as HB802