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Sample letter to Governor Michael Easley


Please paste and copy this letter into your Notepad program. You can then add your own thoughts and ideas. Then print it out and MAIL it!

Governor Michael Easley
Office of the Governor
20301 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-0301
Ph: (919)733-4240
Fax: (919)715-3175

Dear Governor Easley:

I recently learned that the state of North Carolina has cut off services on October1, 2002 to low-income residents over the age of 20 in need of an artificial limb or prosthesis, and has also stopped paying the 20% co-insurance for patients on Medicare. I am writing to register a complaint and request that you reverse this decision immediately.

By eliminating these services, North Carolina is one of a minority of states in the Nation that decline to provide prosthetic services to amputees via Medicaid. Currently most states in this country do provide coverage for prosthetic care for low-income individuals with limb loss. Furthermore, eliminating coverage by Medicaid of the 20% co-insurance due for individuals on Medicare puts a costly hardship on elderly amputees living in North Carolina. Most of these individuals have lived, worked and paid taxes in North Carolina all their lives, and should receive benefits under the previous policy.

Controlling spending at the expense of people with disabilities is inappropriate. In fact, North Carolinas action may not reduce costs; it may increase them. Lower extremity amputees will be forced into a sedentary lifestyle, putting them at risk for diabetes, heart disease, obesity, cancer, and depression, and upper extremity amputees will confront skeletal complications, spinal involvement, and depression. All of these could require medical treatment. On top of that, without access to artificial limbs these individuals will require other state services such as home health or visiting nurse services, wheelchair van and ambulance transportation as well as income and housing assistance. In fact, without artificial limbs these people will have even less chance of returning to the work force and living independent lives.

1.5 million Americans live with limb loss. 185,000 new amputation procedures are performed every year as a result of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, trauma, and congenital anomalies.
Please reverse this decision. Please don’t create another hurdle for those trying desperately to return to life--socially, economically, and mentally--especially after they have experienced one of the most-traumatic life experiences--the loss of a limb.

Sincerely,

YOUR NAME