624 Days
That’s how many days we have to get the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act (ELSA) passed from the time I publish this article.
Aren’t you and your loved ones tired of fighting insurance companies for benefits you and your children deserve for medically necessary treatment for ectodermal dysplasias? Replacing missing teeth as a result of a congenital anomaly is medically necessary and NOT cosmetic.
I am certainly saddened every time I hear the despair in your voices, the frustration and the pain when you realize that there is no hope in sight. We now have great hope in sight but we are on a tight time line to success.
We need to get ELSA passed in the next year and a half. This bill would mandate benefits for the medical and dental care of all congenital anomalies, including ectodermal dysplasias. Please join us! The time is NOW!
Tick, Tick, Tick
We are at a critical time in our work. The current Congressional session ends on December 31, 2020. That gives us a year and a half to push ELSA through the system. If we don’t, the bill will expire and we must start over. Each step in this process can take months to achieve.
The next step is to get this bill sent to a Committee for review. To accomplish that, we need to have a large number of Senators and Representatives to co-sponsor ELSA.
There are 535 lawmakers in Congress. Our immediate goal is to have (at least) 75 of them co-sponsor ELSA before we hit the road to Washington D.C. in July for NFED Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill. Right now, we have 36.
We ALL must do something about this right now! Your legislator is not going to co-sponsor if you don’t ask. This is a personal request. We need YOU, each and every one of you, to take action today.
I have contacted my legislators and dozens of other senators and legislators. I am calling their offices and meeting with them personally. I head to Washington D.C. in May to hit the pavement again. But my one voice will never be enough.
Truths
There are lots of reasons we hear that people are not taking action.
Reason: You are too busy with work and family.
Truth: It only takes five minutes to write and call your legislators. Our online advocacy tool makes it easy for you!
- Go to our Ways to Advocate
- Click on Take Action.
- Enter your street address and zip code. Select go.
- Enter your name, email address and phone number.
- The email message is already filled out with text we provide. Just add a few sentences with your personal story.
- Hit send.
Voila! You just emailed your lawmakers in under five minutes.
Reason: It’s too political and you really don’t want to get involved in politics.
Truth: Your health care is political. This fight is for you and your family! This a personal request from you to your elected officials. It is their job to listen to you. If you don’t fight for these benefits, no one will.
Reason: The National Foundation for Ectodermal Dysplasias (NFED) is strong and they can do this without my help.
Truth: NOT true! Although the NFED has accomplished great things with your help, we can’t do this unless we have our entire U.S. community on board. This is a fight that we all need to join and join now.
Reason: ELSA won’t affect my family. We already paid for dental care or our children are grown.
Truth: Wrong! You are going to need dental and medical care for ectodermal dysplasias for the rest of your life. ELSA will provide you the insurance benefits to get that treatment covered. This bill will impact generations to come. All of our collective families and loved ones in this country are impacted by this bill.
Reason: I have good insurance so there is no need to fight.
Truth: Wrong again! Insurance can change every year. Only federal legislation can protect your rights.
Reason: I already wrote my legislators once.
Truth: Thank you! That’s great. Are they co-sponsoring ELSA yet? If not, then it’s important for you to contact them again. And again. Until we can get them on board.
Let’s Beat the Clock
I am pumped and I know that we can do this together. I am asking you, your family and your friends to contact your legislators today! Right now is a great time.
Contact me or Becky Abbott, co-chair of our Family-Driven Legislative Advocacy Committee, with any questions.
Your Next Steps
Email CongressSign Up to Attend Day on the Hill