Testimony in Support of Committee Amendment to LD 20

Below is testimony I submitted in support of LD 20.

Testimony in Support of Committee Amendment to LD 20 – An Act to Require Insurance Companies to Cover the Cost of Prosthetics

Senator Bowman and Representative Treat and members of the Joint Committee on Insurance and Financial Services, I am Matthew Peterson and I serve District 92 which includes the Oxford County towns of Andover, Byron, Roxbury, and Rumford, as well as the Franklin County communities of Weld and plantations of Rangeley and Sandy River plus the unorganized territories of West Central Franklin and Madrid Township. I am here today to support the committee amendment proposed to LD 20.

As a person with a disability, and someone who has spent the better part of my professional career working with people with a disability, I want to commend this Committee for continuing to work on this important initiative. Technology has continued to improve the lives of people living with a disability, and no place have these advances been more significant than in the development of sophisticated prosthetic devices that expand the capacity and independence of people who have lost a limb.

This commonsense amendment is designed to do one simple thing -- make sure that insurers in our state will make available the most appropriate alternative available to those they cover. This is what we all expect when we purchase insurance, and we have the responsibility to insure that these expectations are enshrined in our statutes and regulations. This is another important step in making sure the insurance climate in Maine strikes the proper balance. I urge your adoption of this measure.

Thank you,

Matt Peterson – State Representative District 92