00:01 - Good morning everyone,

00:03 - and thank you for being here today.

00:06 - I want to begin by thanking my partners in this effort.

00:09 - Senator Judy Ward. Judy, come on up.

00:12 - Senator Judy Ward and Senator Frank Farias.

00:16 - Frank here. All right.

00:17 - All right.

00:18 - Come on up for their collaboration and the leadership on the Senate side.

00:23 - And Representative Bridget.

00:25 - No, I don't, because there are Oscars.

00:27 - There we go. I'm sorry. Butchered your name?

00:31 - Yeah.

00:31 - And, Turek.

00:34 - You're not here yet.

00:36 - Here he is.

00:37 - Valerie Gaydos and Kyle Donahue.

00:41 - For their partnership in the house.

00:44 - This is truly a bipartisan effort focused on dignity,

00:49 - fairness and quality of life of Pennsylvanians.

00:53 - I also want to thank the advocates and their families joining us today,

00:57 - especially the individuals who will share their stories.

01:01 - You will hear them shortly, and they will truly remind you

01:05 - why this legislation matters.

01:08 - This week we introduced the So Everybody Can Move Act.

01:13 - Senate Bill 1360 because movement is medicine

01:19 - for many people.

01:21 - Movement is something they rarely have to think about.

01:24 - But for individuals living with a limb loss, a limb difference,

01:29 - or mobility impairments, movement can determine

01:33 - whether you can work, care for your family,

01:37 - participate in your community,

01:40 - or simply live independently with dignity.

01:44 - And as someone who uses a wheelchair,

01:47 - I understand it deeply.

01:50 - I know what it feels like when mobility

01:52 - challenges every part of your day.

01:56 - I know how important accessibility is,

01:58 - and I know the frustration that comes when systems or devices

02:02 - we use are not designed for us to live our fullest possible lives.

02:08 - And I know, life changing.

02:10 - It can be when someone finally gets the tools,

02:13 - equipment or support they need to move freely and safely.

02:20 - I could not imagine my life if I didn't have my wheelchair to get around in.

02:25 - And in case you're wondering, the color is called ready Power Pink.

02:31 - Right now

02:32 - in Pennsylvania, too many people are being denied quality

02:36 - prosthetic and orthotic devices by their insurance

02:40 - because they are deemed as not medically necessary.

02:44 - Families are being forced to pay enormous out-of-pocket costs,

02:48 - settle for unsafe and rudimentary equipment,

02:53 - or go with devices that would allow their children, them

02:57 - or their children to live fuller or healthier lives.

03:01 - We're here to tell you that this is unacceptable.

03:04 - This legislation says very clearly that if a doctor determines prosthetic

03:10 - or orthotic device is medically necessary,

03:14 - then it's medically necessary.

03:20 - That includes devices

03:22 - that allow someone to exercise, participate in sports,

03:26 - go to work, care for children

03:30 - they safely or simply move

03:33 - through their daily life with confidence and independence.

03:37 - And guess what?

03:38 - It's a win win.

03:40 - Having access to a quality prosthetic means healthier lifestyles,

03:45 - greater participation in work in society

03:49 - and less medical costs in the long run.

03:52 - For all involved.

03:54 - We know that access to the right

03:56 - prosthetic can completely change somebody's future.

04:00 - We have seen children gain confidence and independence.

04:04 - We have seen adults return to work, regain mobility

04:09 - and reconnect with the activities they love.

04:12 - We have seen people go from isolation to empowerment

04:17 - because they finally had access to the care they deserved.

04:22 - 12 other states have already passed this legislation.

04:25 - A few others are working on it.

04:28 - And now it's Pennsylvania's turn to do it.

04:32 - Movement matters.

04:34 - Movement is medicine.

04:35 - And everybody deserves the chance to move and to live.

04:40 - Thank you.

04:41 - And now, you will hear from one of my partners

04:44 - on the Senate side, Senator Frank.

04:46 - Third.

04:49 - Thank you.

04:52 - Thank you.

04:53 - Tina.

04:53 - And honestly, there's not much left to say after that.

04:56 - Well done explanation.

04:58 - Ladies and gentlemen, no matter what situation arose,

05:02 - whether it was an accident, an illness situation at birth,

05:05 - the result of being an amputee is something is not taken lightly.

05:10 - Obviously, it has lifelong impacts on you.

05:13 - And I think it's our responsibility, whether Republican, Democrat, House

05:17 - or Senate, that we are there for you to help you

05:20 - live your life to the highest quality you possibly can.

05:23 - And that includes all the things that Senator Tartaglia and said, ranging

05:27 - from being able to care for your family, being able to take a bath.

05:30 - Being able to be involved in activities.

05:32 - If you are sedimentary, sedimentary at home

05:35 - and you're not being active and you are not living your life to the fullest,

05:39 - well, we need to fix that.

05:40 - Because if cost is a barrier, if insurance coverage is prohibiting you

05:44 - from having that opportunity, will we need to ensure

05:47 - that the insurance company is mandated to cover that?

05:51 - If your doctor says you need a particular device,

05:54 - even if it's a device for an activity, if your doctor says you need that device

05:58 - to live a quality of life, then that should be covered by insurance.

06:02 - Cost should not be a barrier for you to be able to live your life,

06:06 - whether it's tending to your children and being involved in their activities,

06:10 - to actually being able to be free and being able to go out on a run or a jog

06:14 - or participate in a community five K or walk for charity.

06:17 - We want you involved in our communities.

06:19 - We want you to have the best quality of life.

06:21 - That's why this legislation is being introduced in the Senate.

06:25 - I believe there's a companion legislation in the House.

06:27 - It has bipartisan support.

06:30 - So our goal

06:30 - is to get this to the finish line for you so you can have the best quality of life.

06:34 - And now I'm happy to introduce one of my colleagues

06:37 - from the Pennsylvania State House, representative Bridget Casa.

06:41 - Thank you.

06:41 - Thank thank you, thank.

06:44 - I'm the colleague in the House.

06:45 - I am, and this is a wonderful day to be here with everybody.

06:48 - And I could not have said it better than the senators.

06:50 - And I'm going to steal your line.

06:52 - Is movement is medicine. Movement matters.

06:55 - And that's why we're here today.

06:56 - And we are blessed with an incredible group behind us of advocates.

06:59 - I, I will say I, I that we, we get advocated

07:04 - by lots of different groups here in the, in the, in the Capitol.

07:07 - And it's I am very proud to be here today with the people behind us.

07:12 - I've been a nurse for 30 years, and I was an orthopedic nurse.

07:15 - So I got to work on the patient side,

07:17 - and I got to work on the patient side with people that were changed.

07:20 - Life changed because of prosthetics, because of how

07:24 - they were able to move and do that about their activities of daily living.

07:27 - And like Senator Ferry said, that those the source of the amputee,

07:31 - whether it be an accident or you're a born with a limb mobility issue.

07:35 - The prosthetic change lives.

07:37 - And when the physician and the nurse and the patient know that this is what

07:41 - we need, the insurance companies absolutely should not be the barrier

07:46 - that you have enough barriers to deal with when you have to have,

07:49 - you know, a limb mobility issue.

07:53 - So I am really proud to be here today.

07:55 - We have a fierce team of legislators that I believe will be advocates for you.

08:00 - And, everybody moves and everybody matters.

08:03 - And these are things that we this is why we get elected.

08:06 - And these are things that make us really proud

08:07 - to be able to do the kind of work we do.

08:09 - So I'm happy to be here today.

08:10 - I am not sure who I introduce next.

08:13 - My my colleague and I have in the house he's a nurse practitioner.

08:16 - I'm just the nurse. He gets to be the nurse practitioner.

08:18 - So, Tarek is here with me today, and he will also speak.

08:22 - And, it's good to have nurses in the house.

08:24 - It's good for us to be a part of this team because, sometimes people,

08:28 - sometimes people tend to listen to these medical issues

08:30 - a little bit more when it comes from medical professionals.

08:32 - So I'm, I'm proud to be to introduce, Tarek Sarah Cotton.

08:36 - Thank you.

08:37 - Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you,

08:38 - thank you to my colleagues in the Senate, for their leadership as well.

08:42 - So as Rep Kaiser, as you said, I'm a nurse.

08:45 - I'm a nurse practitioner.

08:46 - But let's be honest, I don't know what it's like to be,

08:50 - some of the families or some of the individuals on stage,

08:53 - who have, either,

08:57 - limb loss, or disability,

09:00 - and they are asking for coverage, coverage that they should get

09:05 - for prosthetics, for orthotics and then are denied

09:09 - for the insurance companies that basically tell them that this is a cosmetic issue.

09:13 - It's not something that your insurance should take care of.

09:17 - And that is unacceptable.

09:19 - That is unacceptable

09:21 - that medically needed devices,

09:25 - the medically needed orthotics or prosthetics are being denied

09:30 - because the insurance companies don't want to pay for it.

09:33 - And what's worse is the gaslighting is them telling us that

09:36 - by giving you what you need, it's going to raise your costs.

09:40 - It's going to somehow prevent access to care by giving you what they need.

09:45 - Now it's we have lost a lot of times in the House.

09:48 - In the Senate, we have political differences.

09:50 - But what is not okay is when we as legislators get gas lit,

09:56 - when our patients, our advocates,

09:59 - our constituents are being gas lit and telling, being told

10:03 - that they're not important, that their quality of life doesn't matter

10:07 - what we're doing something about it.

10:08 - We're coming together

10:09 - across the aisle, across chambers to make sure that the insurance companies

10:14 - do what they should be doing, which is providing access to health care.

10:18 - That is, their job is to make sure that these patients are patients

10:23 - and our constituents get what they need.

10:26 - And right now, it's not happening.

10:27 - Too often.

10:28 - These individuals are getting to night

10:30 - by their insurance companies and their quality of life is suffering.

10:33 - You should not have to be well-off to get the care that you need.

10:36 - You should not have to be well off to get basic care.

10:38 - A physical disability is a disability and it is a health care issue,

10:42 - and it should be covered by health care.

10:44 - That's what this bill does and we will fight to make sure it happens.

10:48 - Thank you.

10:52 - We now have Anna Zimmermann.

10:54 - She's an advocate on behalf of her son Joseph.

11:05 - Hi. My name is Anna Zimmerman.

11:07 - I'm from Lititz, Pennsylvania.

11:09 - Our son, Joseph, we were. Oh, where's he at?

11:12 - Oh, is the youngest of our six children.

11:17 - Joseph was born with a congenital limb difference.

11:20 - After his adoption, Joseph received his first prosthetic leg when he was two.

11:25 - It was a miracle watching him learn to walk and explore his world on two feet.

11:29 - But there were many activities that were hard or impossible with his walking leg.

11:35 - And this.

11:36 - For those of you that don't know, this is what his walking leg

11:40 - looks like.

11:43 - It's a perfect, It's perfect for places that require

11:46 - a combination of walking and sitting, like the classroom or our home,

11:51 - but it does not work

11:52 - for things like running and jumping, which a young boy really needs to do.

11:57 - This is what?

11:58 - Oh, yeah. Here. Here we go.

12:00 - He had a lot of issues with his knee

12:01 - falling apart from activities that were too intense for the leg.

12:06 - At one point, his knee had to be sent to Germany to be repaired.

12:10 - It was hard on him to not be able to walk while it was gone.

12:15 - We were overjoyed when we heard that Iron Leg, a nonprofit

12:18 - dedicated to helping kids get prosthetics not covered

12:21 - by insurance, chose to buy Joseph a running blade.

12:25 - I'll never forget the look of joy on his face when Joseph realized

12:28 - how fast he could run on his new blade.

12:31 - It opened up so many opportunities for him,

12:34 - such as a trip to the beach before he got his blade.

12:37 - He couldn't walk on the beach

12:38 - because sand ruins the knee mechanism in the walking leg.

12:42 - He had so much fun being able to stand and play in the shallows with his family.

12:47 - I wish you could have seen how happy he was.

12:50 - He was

12:50 - also able to join the family on excursions like creek walking or hiking,

12:55 - or a trip to the museum, which is Joseph's favorite.

12:59 - When he started school, he was able to participate

13:01 - with typical children in gym class and field day when he was played.

13:05 - Not only that, he was better equipped

13:07 - to keep up with his very active brother, who was five months older.

13:11 - It changed his life and made him grow physically and mentally.

13:15 - When he was able to run and play with his friends.

13:18 - I believe that Joseph and all children

13:20 - should have access to running plays through their health insurance.

13:24 - I am confident this bill will save insurance companies in the long run,

13:27 - because they will have healthier clients, both physically and mentally.

13:32 - It will also cut down on repairs on more complex walking legs,

13:36 - since they will be used as they were intended.

13:40 - Joseph will soon exceed the 55 pound weight limit on his blade.

13:44 - We will need another blade which will not be covered by insurance,

13:47 - to continue running and playing with his siblings and friends.

13:51 - There are families all across Pennsylvania going through exactly the same thing.

13:56 - You can be part of changing.

13:58 - Joseph's life and many others for the better.

14:01 - So please support

14:03 - the So Everybody Can Move initiative and help make Pennsylvania a place

14:08 - where families like ours can focus on supporting their kids to do what they love

14:13 - the beach, the trails, the sports, playing with their siblings.

14:17 - Thank you.

14:23 - And now I'd like to introduce Brittany Blythe.

14:26 - She is a congenital bilateral amputee and a mental health therapist

14:31 - and a certified amputee support leader.

14:40 - Hello.

14:42 - Thank you.

14:44 - Well, this says good afternoon, but it's good morning.

14:47 - Good morning. My name is.

14:49 - I'm from Chester, Pennsylvania, and I'm proud to be here today,

14:53 - not only as a Pennsylvanian but as a licensed professional counselor,

14:57 - disability advocate, amputee peer specialist, founder of Life.

15:01 - Wellness and most importantly, a bilateral above the knee

15:04 - amputee living every day with limb loss and disability.

15:08 - I founded Blaze Wellness in 2021 to support individuals

15:11 - navigating trauma, grief, disability adjustment, and mental health challenges.

15:17 - The work is centered on helping people rebuild dignity, stability and hope.

15:22 - I was born with a congenital condition

15:24 - worsened by my parents substance use during pregnancy.

15:28 - My life has been shaped by medical barriers

15:31 - most people will never have to think about.

15:33 - I did not choose disability,

15:36 - but I have spent my life choosing resilience.

15:39 - I know what it means to fight for medical care

15:42 - that allows you to function, work and live with dignity.

15:45 - For people with limb loss, prosthetic and orthotic devices are not optional.

15:50 - They are mobility, independence, and access to everyday life.

15:54 - Yet insurance companies treat them as non-essential,

15:58 - without insurance, without coverage.

16:01 - Amputees are forced into impossible choices.

16:05 - Pay rent or repair a prosthetic.

16:08 - Work through pain risk falls or remain isolated

16:12 - because the technology allows us to move is denied.

16:16 - No one should have to beg for the ability to move.

16:21 - As an

16:22 - amputee, I know firsthand what happens when a prosthetic no longer fits.

16:27 - Pain increases mobility decreases.

16:30 - Mental health declines.

16:31 - I also live with chronic pain and deterioration connected to my disability.

16:37 - Weight changes directly affect prosthetic foot,

16:41 - often requiring new devices and lengthy insurance approvals.

16:46 - These are not cosmetic needs.

16:48 - They are medically necessary for mobility and independence.

16:53 - That is why movement is not optional for me.

16:56 - It is essential.

16:57 - Movement helps me manage pain, maintain strength,

17:01 - support my mental health and protect my long term health.

17:05 - It has reduced my pain, increased my confidence

17:08 - and allowed me to better serve others in my community.

17:12 - When I applied for a running prosthetic through insurance,

17:15 - I was denied because it was considered non-essential.

17:19 - Because of that denial, I had to rely on charitable support

17:22 - through the town's Athletes Foundation to access a running blade.

17:27 - For that, I am deeply grateful.

17:28 - But access to mobility should not depend on charity, luck or fundraising.

17:34 - It should be based on medical necessity and equality.

17:39 - As both an amputee and mental health professional.

17:42 - I can tell you the movement is directly connected to emotional well-being.

17:47 - I know that that is true for me.

17:51 - Exercise decreases depression,

17:53 - anxiety, stress, and isolation.

17:56 - Individuals with limb loss already face significantly higher

18:00 - rates of depression and PTSD.

18:03 - For amputees, movement is not recreation, it is rehabilitation.

18:08 - It is mental health care, and it is also suicide prevention.

18:12 - The so everybody can move act bill number SB

18:17 - 1360 is about dignity

18:19 - equality health care access.

18:23 - It ensures prosthetic and orthotic care

18:26 - that is treated as essential health care, not optional equipment.

18:30 - When insurance denies coverage, it is not denying a device that is denying freedom.

18:36 - Independence.

18:37 - Wellness and participation in everyday life I ask you

18:40 - and your colleagues to support this so everybody can move act.

18:45 - Because insurance limitations should never determine whether individuals

18:49 - with disabilities have equal access to care or mobility.

18:53 - Everyone deserves like

18:54 - everyone deserves access to care and everyone deserves to move.

18:58 - Thank you.

19:03 - We now have Jared Clark, advocate.

19:07 - He's here on behalf of his son John.

19:16 - Good morning.

19:17 - Thank you, everybody, for this opportunity.

19:18 - My name is Jared Clark.

19:19 - I'm from Mars, Pennsylvania.

19:22 - I'm here with my son, my ten year old son, John.

19:25 - Three years ago, John survived

19:28 - cardiac arrest, multiple heart surgeries.

19:32 - Massive stroke and loss of, part of his leg.

19:37 - On top of that, he spent nine months in the hospital

19:40 - awaiting a heart transplant.

19:42 - Today, he's doing incredible.

19:44 - He loves the bike.

19:50 - He loves to swim.

19:51 - He loves doing taekwondo.

19:53 - And he runs around with his friends.

19:57 - Honestly, the best moments as a parent are when you watch your kid

20:00 - forget about everything they've overcome and just go out and simply be a kid.

20:05 - That's what these devices make possible for everybody.

20:08 - That's, that has them.

20:10 - And also, it's

20:11 - what makes it possible for John to do the things that he loves to do.

20:15 - One of the things that we learned through John's journey

20:18 - is that one device can't do everything.

20:21 - A walking leg is designed for everyday movement.

20:25 - A running

20:26 - blade is designed for physical activity and sports, and a swim

20:30 - leg is designed for wet and bathing environments.

20:34 - Each one serves a different purpose,

20:37 - and each one creates different opportunities.

20:41 - Without the right prosthetic, a child may sit on the sidelines

20:45 - instead of participating alongside his friends.

20:48 - And when John steps on to the taekwondo mat, he's not thinking about his leg.

20:53 - He's thinking about competing.

20:55 - He's thinking about having fun.

20:56 - He's thinking about learning and being with other kids his age.

21:00 - And that matters.

21:02 - John is the swim like today

21:04 - because we made the difficult decision to purchase that.

21:08 - We had to pay thousands of dollars for a device.

21:12 - And the decision was, do we help him bathe

21:15 - safely and swim safely with his friends,

21:19 - or do we create, or would we purchase a running leg that allows him

21:23 - to participate more effectively in physical activities and sports?

21:26 - It's a

21:28 - it's a choice that no parent,

21:30 - no individual, should need to make.

21:34 - And the truth is, many families in Pennsylvania

21:37 - can't afford a second leg, let alone three.

21:42 - It's not about luxury,

21:43 - that we're asking here, not about extras.

21:47 - It's about giving children and amputees access to the tools

21:50 - that allow them to fully participate in life.

21:54 - Because when kids like John have the right prosthetics, they feel confident.

21:59 - They stay active and they participate with their classmates and friends.

22:03 - They feel included instead of different.

22:06 - These devices are not about limitations.

22:09 - They're about possibilities.

22:12 - So I would ask you to think about this.

22:14 - If your child had the determination to get back into the pool,

22:18 - to step onto the taekwondo mat, to run alongside their friends

22:23 - after everything they had overcome, should insurance companies

22:27 - really decide what parts of a childhood a child should get to experience?

22:32 - Because every kid deserves the chance to simply be a kid.

22:37 - John, is there anything you'd like to add?

22:39 - Yes. Go ahead.

22:42 - Talk a little bit.

22:43 - I think that the line in your tell me walk helps me lame.

22:48 - Yeah. So the right prosthetic doesn't just help him walk, right?

22:51 - It helps him live. It helps him be a kid.

22:54 - So thank you, everybody, for the time and for your participation.

23:03 - Thank you for being here.

23:05 - That concludes the program.

23:07 - Unless we have any questions.

23:12 - Okay.

23:13 - Thank you.