March 14, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
In the US, one option for obtaining funds for AAC devices is through Medicaid, a public health benefits program. In today’s featured video, Lew Golinker, of the AT Law Center, provides an overview and discusses important updates and issues that will be helpful to anyone considering using Medicaid funds for AAC devices. Many thanks to USSAAC for this wonderful webcast series, to ISAAC for facilitating it, and to Lew for his tireless efforts in advocating for the AAC field. You can learn more from Lew here. Direct Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b55U92VIfvE
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: AAC evaluation, funding, Lew Golinker
August 26, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
US Colleagues: It’s not too late! We still need your help to tell Congress and Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell, to stop denying our most vulnerable disabled people their ability to communicate! The initial advocacy effort was effective in delaying the start date for implementation of the proposed changes but more needs to be done. New to these issues? Check out the post by Bill Binko here. Basically, Medicare has announced several changes to its speech generating device coverage policies that will be devastating to people with complex communication needs. To protect our clients, we believe the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the most senior official responsible for Medicare policy, must be made aware of the harmful effects of these changes and must be asked to reverse them. We must speak up now to ensure our clients also will be able to. You can call Medicare directly to... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: advocacy, Amy Goldman, funding, Lew Golinker, Medicare, Melanie Fried-Oken, patient provider communication
October 25, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
Here in the US, debates about health care funding are ongoing. It’s a bit baffling that healthcare is considered to be a commodity rather than a right, but that’s a story for another venue. What we want to address here is the cost of AAC to insurers. Most people assume that insurance companies don’t cover AAC because it is enormously expensive to do so and would raise the costs of the premiums substantially. Not so, according to Lew Golinker, of AAC Funding Help. He cites the work of a highly-respected actuarial firm, and reported the following: “On September 19, 2006, Milliman, Inc., one of the nation’s most respected health actuary consulting firms reported that the cost of covering SGDs in a typical commercial insurance policy or health benefits plan was at most 2 cents per member per month or 24 cents per member per year.” Let’s say that again: 24... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: funding, insurance, Lew Golinker