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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

McMorris Rodgers proposes bill to help ALS patients

Thousands of Americans diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease face the possibility of losing access to their communication technology when making frequent visits to the hospital.

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers said the rule, which affects ALS patients covered by Medicare, is “bureaucratic nonsense” and has proposed the Steve Gleason Act in Congress to solve the problem. The bill is named after Washington State University and NFL player Gleason, who revealed in 2011 he was diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disorder that affects roughly 30,000 Americans.

“It’s recognizing how important it is for that individual who can no longer speak, to have that communication device,” McMorris Rodgers said Monday in Spokane.

Under current definitions, several providers began denying reimbursement under Medicare for the eye-tracking technology Gleason and other ALS patients use to communicate during hospital visits. Gail Gleason, Steve’s mother, has joined McMorris Rodgers in lobbying Congress to change those definitions so patients can communicate with their doctors.

“It’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard of,” Gail Gleason said. “It’s robbing people of their ability to communicate at the most critical time.”

The two appeared at a roundtable hosted by McMorris Rodgers at Washington State University Spokane.

The fourth-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives introduced the bill in January, and it’s currently before a subcommittee on energy and commerce. It has the sponsorship of nine Republicans and two Democrats. McMorris Rodgers hopes to bring the bill to the House floor for a vote after the Easter break.