I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8581 

To direct the Government Accountability Office to evaluate appropriate coverage of assistive technologies provided to patients who experience amputation or live with limb difference. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 13, 2020 

Mr. BUTTERFIELD (for himself and Mr. GUTHRIE) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and 

in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Veterans’ Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each 

case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 

the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To direct the Government Accountability Office to evaluate 

appropriate coverage of assistive technologies provided 

to patients who experience amputation or live with limb 

difference. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Access to Assistive 

5 Technology and Devices for Americans Study Act’’ or the 

6 ‘‘Triple A Study Act’’. 


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•HR 8581 IH

1 SEC. 2. APPROPRIATE COVERAGE OF ASSISTIVE TECH2 NOLOGIES. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 18 months after 

4 the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 

5 of the United States shall evaluate, and submit to Con6 gress a report on such evaluation, the appropriate cov7 erage, through insurance or otherwise, of assistive tech8 nologies provided to patients who experience amputation 

9 or live with limb difference, particularly prosthetic devices 

10 and custom orthoses, including— 

11 (1) timely access to care, including educating 

12 patients regarding options for assistive technologies; 

13 (2) assessments and guidelines for assistive de14 vice determinations; 

15 (3) matching specific assistive devices with the 

16 needs of the individual beneficiary, such as women; 

17 (4) the affordability of assistive devices; 

18 (5) the provision of rehabilitation services to 

19 support acclimation to assistive devices; and 

20 (6) appropriate timelines for assessments for 

21 surgery and assessments of assistive devices. 

22 (b) COMPARISON OF CERTAIN DATA.—As part of the 

23 evaluation conducted under subsection (a), the Comp24 troller General shall compare data on practices and out25 comes derived from the Medicare program under title 

26 XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.), 


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•HR 8581 IH

1 the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the commercial 

2 health insurance market relating to the coverage of assist3 ive technologies, including— 

4 (1) the percentage of patients who get access to 

5 assistive devices; 

6 (2) performance measures that monitor the 

7 timeliness of processing prosthetic prescriptions; 

8 (3) coverage denials and overturn rates; 

9 (4) coding for physician or physical therapy as10 sessments, including whether a prosthetist was en11 gaged in the assessment; 

12 (5) the rate of patients returning to work in 

13 general, and after receiving a prosthetic device com14 parable to other assistive technologies; 

15 (6) reductions in long-term assistive technology 

16 services and supports; 

17 (7) with respect to those using assistive tech18 nologies, policies to reduce falls and secondary com19 plications, such as diabetes, heart disease, vascular 

20 disease, and others; and 

21 (8) the amount expended by individual entities 

22 on prosthetics relative to total amount expended by 

23 such entities. 

Æ 


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