A group of prosthetic device makers has pledged to provide financial support to victims of the Boston Marathon bombing who lost limbs as a result of last month’s attack.
The American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association launched its "Coalition to Walk and Run Again," an effort to aide uninsured and under-insured victims of the April 15th bombing. The attack killed 3 people and left more than 200 injured, several of whom lost portions of their legs as a result.
AOPA officials estimated that as many as 10 to 12 victims who had extremities amputated have either no health insurance or are under-insured and will face daunting costs associated with obtaining prosthetic limbs.
"We want to ensure that, in the midst of this horrific tragedy, these individuals are not further traumatized by the harsh and unreasonable limits that are present in all too many health insurance policies today in the U.S.," AOPA executive director Tom Fise said during a conference call with reporters.
A recent study by the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs estimated 5-year prosthetic costs to be as high as $450,000 for a person with multiple limb amputations, $230,000 for a person with a unilateral lower-limb amputation and $117,000 for a person with a unilateral upper-limb amputation, AOPA officials noted in a prepared release.
The coalition plans to leverage its national network to facilitate care for Boston Marathon bombing victims and provide for their prosthetic and orthotic needs (excluding physician and hospital costs). Patients can apply for assistance by submitting a letter from a physician stating that the patient was injured in the bombing and describing the needs of the patient.
AOPA, a national trade association for prosthetic limb makers, was founded during World War I as the Artificial Limb Manufacturers & Brace Assn. The trade group has some 2,000 members and several executives from major prosthetic limb makers like Hanger Orthopedics (NYSE:HGR) and Ossur Americas sit on the board of directors.
