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Federal Legislation Introduced for Alopecia Areata! For the first time ever, legislation has been introduced in Congress to support people with alopecia areata! The bill, HR 5936, was introduced by Representatives Heather Wilson (R-NM) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and would improve insurance coverage for people with alopecia areata. HR 5936 would require Medicaid to pay for one scalp prosthesis annually for those with the most serious forms of the disease (Medicaid is the government’s health insurance program for low-income Americans). Because many private health plans base their coverage decisions on Medicaid (and Medicare), enactment of HR 5936 will make it easier for all people with alopecia areata to obtain coverage for hair prostheses. “We are thrilled that HR 5936 has been introduced in Congress,” said National Alopecia Areata Foundation President and CEO Vicki Kalabokes. “We are also deeply grateful to Representatives Wilson and Eshoo for their leadership on this important issue. Now it’s time for people with alopecia areata to take action and get HR 5936 enacted into law.” TAKE ACTION! Urge Your Representative to Cosponsor HR 5936! Now that HR 5936 has been introduced, it is our job to build support for it in Congress. You can do that by contacting your Representative in Congress today and urging him/her to cosponsor HR 5936. Cosponsoring a bill is how a Representative demonstrates his/her public support for a bill. The more cosponsors, the more support a bill has in Congress and the greater the chance it will become law. Most Representatives will only cosponsor a bill if they are asked by a constituent. Please contact your Representative today with the following message: I urge you to cosponsor HR 5936, a bipartisan bill introduced by Representatives Heather Wilson and Anna Eshoo. HR 5936 would improve Medicaid coverage for alopecia areata an autoimmune disorder characterized by a loss of body hair. I strongly support HR 5936 because alopecia areata affects me personally. (Please include a sentence or two detailing your personal story). Even though dermatologists consider hair prostheses a medical necessity, Medicaid and most private plans do not cover them. HR 5936 would fix this problem and provide Medicaid coverage for people with the most severe forms of the condition. I strongly urge you to cosponsor HR 5936 and look forward to your written response to this request. Please send your message by email, fax, letter, phone call or in a meeting. To obtain the name and contact information of your Representative, visit www.house.gov and enter your Zip+4 in the upped left corner. If you have questions, need additional information, or would like to report back to us, please contact Lisa Butler at lisa@naaf.org. News Release on Alopecia Areata Legislation Letter of Support from the National Alopecia Areata Foundation |
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