The MDA Advocacy Newsletter just announced that the 21st Century Cures legislation passed the House and Senate. This is good news and another positive step forward in healthcare and research..

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21^st Century Cures

After more than two years of bi-partisan effort, a final version of 21^st Century Cures legislation (H.R. 34) passed in both the House and the Senate. You will recall that in July 2015, the House passed an earlier version of the bill (H.R. 6) and that multiple individual provisions similar to those in Cures also moved along in the Senate committee over the course of the year. The version of Cures passed by Congress this week represents a larger and more comprehensive bill that evolved over months as the House and Senate worked together. The next step is for the bill to be signed into law, which should happen quickly as President Obama has voiced strong support for the legislation.
21^st Century Cures includes many provisions that impact the discovery, development and delivery of treatments and cures for disorders under MDA's umbrella, and that impact access to services including:

• Increased biomedical research funding;
• Increased support for and modernization of regulatory review and oversight;
• Incentives for rare disease drug development;
• Advancing targeted therapies (S. 2030);
• Increased incorporation of the patient voice in drug development; and
• Six-month delay in implementing planned cuts for complex rehabilitative technology.

Another call for help

It is time to let our lawmakers know the importance of complex rehab technologies for wheelchairs.. Please consider contacting your senators and representatives by using this easy MDA program.

As available technologies improve, I can see devices in the near future that will make life easier and keep us independent longer. Thank you for your consideration.


Help Ensure Access to CRT

Last year, we asked for your support in preserving access to complex rehab technologies (CRT) by urging Congress to stop the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) from applying competitive bidding pricing to complex rehab wheelchair accessories.  CRT and related companion parts or accessories are needed by many people living with muscular dystrophy, ALS, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and related neuromuscular diseases to live healthy and independent lives. The collective efforts were successful in securing a one-year delay prohibiting CMS from applying the cuts to power wheelchairs through December 31, 2016.  With that date fast approaching, we need your help again.  Take action below to let your members of Congress know that access to CRT is critical, and urge them to support and bring H.R. 3229/S. 2196 to a vote.