Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, this evening, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1916, the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act, a bill which would require health plans to cover medically necessary services related to congenital anomalies. I would like to share the story of one of my constituents, Caleb Locke, a young man from Ashaway, Rhode Island, who was born with ectodermal dysplasia. As a result of his condition, Caleb's lower jaw is both thin and short with no ridge, and his posterior upper jaw lacks sufficient bone structure. Caleb is missing teeth, and he needs dental implants, but this process will require multiple surgeries, including bone grafts from his hip to reconstruct his jaw and sinuses. Unfortunately, and unbelievably, Caleb's health insurance has deemed these procedures as ``cosmetic'' and has consequently denied coverage. Madam Speaker, Caleb needs these surgeries, and they are clearly not cosmetic. It is wholly unacceptable that coverage can be denied on those grounds. Caleb, and anyone else with a congenital anomaly, should never be denied coverage for medically necessary services related to their conditions. That is why I was proud to support the passage of H.R. 1916 this evening, and I urge our colleagues in the Senate to promptly do the same. ____________________”