IV 
111TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 245 
Recognizing the life-saving role of ostomy care and prosthetics in the daily 
lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the United States. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 2, 2010 
Mr. LANCE (for himself and Mr. HOLT) submitted the following concurrent 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Com-
merce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a pe-
riod to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for con-
sideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Recognizing the life-saving role of ostomy care and pros-
thetics in the daily lives of hundreds of thousands of 
people in the United States. 
Whereas over 700,000 people in the United States, from 
young children to senior citizens, have an ostomy, a sur-
gical procedure that creates an artificial opening in the 
abdomen to the intestines or urinary system to allow for 
the elimination of bodily wastes; 
Whereas an ostomy procedure is essential to many patients 
who suffer on a daily basis from serious, chronic, or life- 
threatening traumatic injury to the abdomen, illnesses 
and conditions, such as colorectal or bladder cancer, 
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Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, birth defects, or other 
intestinal or urinary medical conditions; 
Whereas following ostomy surgery, patients need specially- 
fitted medical products to manage, temporarily or perma-
nently restore intestinal or urinary system function, or 
re-establish activities of daily living, and improve quality 
of life; 
Whereas ostomy products are prosthetic devices prescribed by 
health care providers and meet the definition of pros-
thetics under Medicare; 
Whereas however, ostomy products are currently reimbursed 
under Medicare as medical supplies, not prosthetics; 
Whereas there is a significant inconsistency under the Medi-
care program between the coverage category of, and re-
imbursement policy for, ostomy products; 
Whereas Federal Medicaid statutes do not require coverage 
of prosthetics, including ostomy products; 
Whereas Medicare’s inconsistent policy and reimbursement 
approach to ostomy products and Medicaid’s lack of re-
quired coverage for ostomy products could affect access 
for patients in need; 
Whereas ostomy products are customized to the clinical needs 
of individual patients and are not the same as other eas-
ily interchangeable medical supplies such as gauze and 
bandages; 
Whereas Congress has previously recognized the physical, 
psychological, and emotional importance of restoring 
function and improving the quality of life through enact-
ment of the Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act of 
1998 (Public Law 105–277), which requires coverage of 
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surgery to reconstruct the breast after a mastectomy, in-
cluding any prostheses; 
Whereas ongoing advances and innovation in ostomy pros-
thetics technology can dramatically improve the lives of 
those who undergo ostomy surgery, by helping to nor-
malize their intestinal or urinary system function, im-
prove physical well-being, and often enable the individual 
to rejoin the workforce; and 
Whereas the Department of Health and Human Services has 
recognized the need to improve its use of resources and 
authorities to encourage and facilitate the development 
and use of new medical technologies: Now, therefore, be 
it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That Congress— 
(1) recognizes the life-saving role of ostomy 
care and prosthetics in the daily lives of hundreds of 
thousands of people in the United States; 
(2) recognizes if a surgical procedure results in 
a patient needing a prosthetic that manages, or tem-
porarily or permanently restores intestinal or uri-
nary system function, specifically the control of the 
elimination of the body’s waste products, then that 
custom-fit, medically prescribed prosthetic should be 
available to patients without substitution and be 
adequately reimbursed; 
(3) urges that ostomy products be recognized, 
categorized, covered, and reimbursed in a new pay-
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ment category of ‘‘prosthetic supplies’’ consistent 
with Medicare’s current recognition of ostomy prod-
ucts as prosthetics; and 
(4) urges the Secretary of the Department of 
Health and Human Services to ensure that the de-
partment’s programs, policies, and payment prac-
tices facilitate, and do not discourage, innovation of 
and access to medical devices that restore or im-
prove intestinal or urinary system function of people 
in the United States with an ostomy. 
Æ 
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