The bill for formula coverage is finally out of Rules Committee. It was given a fiscal note that was higher than what we expected (other states have shown no fiscal impact), so we will need a lot of support to get our bill to the house floor for a vote. Please take a few minutes to send some e-mails to the HHS Committee. There is power in numbers.
If you need help thinking of what to write, you can just say something to the effect of "Someone I know and love suffers from an eosinophilic disorder. While there is no cure for the disease, there is a cure for the added emotional and financial strain many families face as they pay out of pocket for the elemental formula necessary to treat it. Please support HB 233, a bill that provides for insurance coverage for this treatment."
Below is the information sent out by my allergy group regarding the bill and the committee members' email addresses.
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HB 233 was prioritized in Rules and assigned to the House Health and Human Services Committee (HHS) today! Then, this afternoon, thanks to Rep. Moss working magic, the bill was put on the HHS agenda for this Friday February 18th at 2:00pm! We are the second to be heard on the agenda and this is where the committee members will hear testimony about the bill and be able to ask questions. They will then make a recommendation/amend the bill and then possibly release it to the House floor for vote.
IMMEDIATE ACTION:
Please email the members of the House Health and Human Services Committee and ask them to support HB 233 by making a favorable recommendation and moving it to the floor for a vote. Tell how the lack of coverage for this disorder has impacted your family, emotionally and financially (or for physicians, your treatment of patients). Don't make it too long, but emphasize how the current status harms families.
Email Subject: HB 233 - Please Support with Favorable Recommendation
If any of these members are your representatives, change email subject to "HB 233 - I am your Constituent - Please Support"
Rep. Paul Ray, Chair pray@utah.gov (supported previous version of bill in 2009)
Rep. Evan J. Vickers, Vice Chair evickers@utah.gov (didn't vote)
Rep. Rebecca Chavez-Houck rchouck@utah.gov (supported previous version of bill in 2009)
Rep. David Clark dclark@utah.gov (voted against previous version of bill in 2009)
Rep. Tim M. Cosgrove tcosgrove@utah.gov (supported previous version of bill in 2009)
Rep. Bradley M. Daw bdaw@utah.gov (voted against previous version of bill in 2009)
Rep. Ronda Rudd Menlove rmenlove@utah.gov (supported previous version of bill in 2009)
Rep. Dean Sanpei dsanpei@utah.gov (didn't vote)
Rep. Christine F. Watkins cwatkins@utah.gov (supported previous version of bill in 2009)
If you are unsure who your representatives are, click here to easily find out http://www.le.utah.gov/GIS/findDistrict.jsp. Constituent emails are much more powerful. Note to all - make sure you sign any email with your full name and mailing address.
Thank you each for your time and efforts - they are vital to the passage of this bill!!! Please let us know if you receive any feedback. You can also forward to family and friends if they would like to help send emails. The more they get the better.
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