March 1, 2007

The Honorable John Ensign (R-NV)
US Senate
356 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Xavier Becerra (D-CA-31)
US House of Representatives
1119 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Senator Ensign and Representative Becerra:

On behalf of the undersigned consumer, patient, provider, and health care industry organizations, we write to offer our full support for your legislation, the Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act (S. 450/HR 748), to repeal the therapy caps once and for all. In the 109th Congress, legislation to repeal the caps gained the support of more than 40 Members of the United States Senate, more than 250 Members of the United States House of Representatives, and more than 40 advocacy organizations.

As you know, these caps were placed on outpatient physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech language pathology services as part of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. Since this time, Congress has acted three times to place a moratorium on the therapy caps. These caps went back into effect on January 1, 2006. Fortunately, Congress passed legislation as part of the Deficit Reduction Act that provided Medicare beneficiaries in need of rehabilitation services with a diagnostic and clinically based exceptions process to this financial limitation on rehabilitation services under Medicare for 2006. Congress extended this exceptions process for 2007 with the Tax Relief and Health Care Improvement Act. If Congress fails to act in 2007, the arbitrary therapy caps, without exceptions, will return on January 1, 2008, and will result in restricted access to rehabilitation services and a shift in beneficiaries and costs to other settings.

The undersigned organizations thank you for your leadership on efforts to repeal the therapy caps once and for all and stand ready to work with you to support this effort.

Sincerely,
American Academy of Neurology
American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
American Association of People with Disabilities
American Health Care Association
American Heart Association/American Stroke Association
American Medical Directors Association
American Medicare Rehabilitation Providers Association
American Music Therapy Association
American Network of Community Options and Resources
American Nurses Association
American Occupational Therapy Association
American Physical Therapy Association
American Society of Hand Therapists
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
American Therapeutic Recreation Association
Arthritis Foundation
Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs (ATAP)
Association of Rehabilitation Nurses
Christopher Reeve Foundation
Easter Seals Inc
Military Officers Association of America
National Association for the Support of Long Term Care
National Association of Rehabilitation Agencies and Providers
National Association of Social Workers
National Association of State Head Injury Administrators
National Disability Rights Network
National Down Syndrome Society
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
National Rehabilitation Association
National Spinal Cord Injury Association
National Stroke Association
Paralyzed Veterans of America
Parkinson's Action Network
Power Mobility Coalition
The Arc
The Center for Medicare Advocacy, Inc
United Cerebral Palsy

Cc: Lead Sponsors of the Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act (S. 450 and HR 748) Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)
Senator Susan Collins (R-ME)
Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD)
Representative Phil English (R-PA)
Representative Mike Ross (D-AR)
Representative Roy Blunt (R-MO)
Representative Chip Pickering (R-MS)