Steve Gleason Act passes House, heads to president’s desk

The bill named for Spokane native and Washington State University athlete Steve Gleason, allowing for Medicare coverage of communication software, is headed to President Barack Obama’s desk. The Steve Gleason Act had been championed by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who said the rules blocking access to eye-tracking software for patients with neurodegenerative disorders “bureaucratic nonsense” on a visit to Spokane to discuss the bill with health care professionals in March. She introduced the bill to the House in January. The House agreed to the bill by voice vote on Wednesday afternoon after a similar bill cleared the U.S. Senate in April. Gleason excelled at Gonzaga Preparatory School before attending WSU. He played for the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints before retiring in 2008, and announcing his diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, in 2011. His foundation, Team Gleason, is dedicated to finding a cure for the neurodegenerative disease.