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ADVOCACY - Gabrielle Gifford

U.S. REP. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS’ STAFF WORKS TO GET TREATMENT
FOR ALL WITH TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY
April 7, 2011

Event today highlights need for every American to receive quality treatment

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ staff is calling on Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to ensure that all Americans with traumatic brain injury have access to quality comprehensive health care.
“Congresswoman Giffords was injured while she was on the job and her rehabilitation is covered by workers’ compensation under the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act,” said Lauren Alfred, legislative assistant to Giffords. “That is what has afforded her access to the excellent medical treatment she is receiving. Every American who sustains a traumatic brain injury deserves the exact same treatment.”

Alfred participated in a press conference today in Washington that included U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. of New Jersey; Dr. Brent Masel, national medical director for the Brain Injury Association of America; and Dr. Keith D. Cicerone, director of neuropsychology and rehabilitation psychology at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Edison, N.J.

They called for Sebelius to end the “treatment gap” for those with traumatic brain injuries by defining rehabilitation care as part of the essential benefits package included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
That sentiment was echoed in a recent letter from Pia Carusone, chief of staff for Giffords, to Sebelius.

“I hope that you will consider the care Congresswoman Giffords has received and work to accommodate the needs of all individuals with traumatic brain injuries to receive the same full continuum of medical treatment,” Carusone wrote.

The congresswoman was shot and critically wounded Jan. 8 while meeting with constituents at a “Congress on Your Corner” event in Northwest Tucson. Six people were killed and 13 others, in addition to Giffords, were wounded.
A copy of Carusone’s letter is below.

Dear Secretary Sebelius:
In the past three months, our office has become intimately familiar with traumatic brain injury rehabilitation. During this difficult time, we remain grateful for the comprehensive, quality medical care that Congresswoman Giffords is receiving at TIRR Memorial Hospital to restore her physical, cognitive, and psychosocial functioning – and concerned that all brain injury patients receive quality, comprehensive care. As you work to define “rehabilitative and habilitative services” as part of the essential benefits package of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, I hope that you will consider the care Congresswoman Giffords has received and work to accommodate the needs of all individuals with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) to receive the same full continuum of medical treatment.

The March 2, 2011, USA Today article, “For Brain Injuries, A Treatment Gap,” showed that most military service members and other Americans who have sustained TBIs lack access to the same high standard of care from which Congresswoman Giffords currently benefits from under the federal workers' compensation as a federal employee injured on the job.According to the piece, access to care can depend on the type of insurance plan you have, if any; where you live; the expertise of treatment providers in your insurance company’s network; the willingness of your insurer to flex benefits; and the knowledge and skills of those advocating on your behalf

As Congresswoman Giffords’ family and staff have learned, comprehensive rehabilitation is vitally important for all individuals who sustain TBIs. When someone sustains a brain injury, acute surgical care at a trauma center or hospital is only the first step in recovery. Post-acute rehabilitation of sufficient scope, duration, and intensity is necessary to regain lost skills and learn new compensatory strategies. Once active treatment ends, individuals need access to ongoing management to ward off medical complications and slow the progression of neurologic, neuroendocrine, musculoskeletal, and psychiatric diseases induced by brain trauma. With proper treatment, we know that individuals, like Congresswoman Giffords, who sustain even the most severe injuries can live healthy, independent and productive lives.

We have been deeply moved by the outpouring of support for and attention to Congresswoman Giffords’ recovery, but we remain cognizant that over 1.7 million other Americans will sustain traumatic brain injuries this year. We believe it is imperative that all Americans with TBI have access to the same full continuum of medical treatment that Congresswoman Giffords has been so fortunate to receive. We urge you to ensure that all Americans have access to such care by defining it as part of the essential benefits package included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Thank you for your service to this country.

Sincerely,Pia Carusone
Chief of Staff to Congresswoman Giffords

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