Erik Paulsen: “Let me first thank the chairman for his leadership on this issue. As has already been mentioned, last summer, millions…”

“Let me first thank the chairman for his leadership on this issue. As has already been mentioned, last summer, millions of Americans participated in the ice bucket challenge, raising more than $100 million to combat ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease. What most people don't realize, though, is at the exact same time this movement was sweeping the Nation, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services was implementing misguided policies to deny access to speech-generating devices for those patients with ALS and other degenerative conditions. Now, for many people who have ALS, speech- generating devices and the eye-tracking technology that is often used with these devices are the only way to communicate with your loved ones, with families, friends, and others. In response to the agency's new policies, Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers and I led a bipartisan letter with over 200 Republicans and Democrats asking for changes to the proposals. While the agency has taken some actions to roll back some of the rules, we have got to guarantee that these patients will have access to speech- generating devices. That is why Senator Vitter, Representative McMorris Rodgers, and Majority Whip Scalise and I first introduced the Steve Gleason Act. Now, this bill gets its name, as was mentioned, from former New Orleans Saints safety Steve Gleason.…”