The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee on July 13 approved a bipartisan bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) that would expand Medicare coverage to include compression treatment items for lymphedema, which the National Cancer Institute defines as the build-up of fluid in soft body tissues when the lymph system is damaged or blocked.
“Lymphedema patients have been denied this coverage for far too long. After battling cancer, survivors can be met with this equally debilitating diagnosis, but with far fewer resources in place to assist them,” Rep. Carter said. “As a pharmacist and a child of a cancer survivor, I’ve seen the pain that Lymphedema can cause. To those patients — help is on the way.”
Nationwide, nearly five million people suffer from the disease, which the institute says is frequently the result of cancer treatments. Lymphedema causes life-long, painful swelling that can impede daily life.
If enacted, the Lymphedema Treatment Act, H.R. 3630, would amend the Social Security Act to provide coverage for standard and custom-fitted gradient compression garments that are prescribed by a physician or other specified health care professional to treat lymphedema, and other devices determined to be effective in the prevention or treatment of lymphedema, according to the bill’s text.
H.R. 3630, which U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) sponsored in May 2021 with Rep. Carter as the lead original cosponsor, currently has 355 other cosponsors.
If enacted, the proposed bill “will finally close the gap in Medicare coverage for people living with lymphedema to cover these essential compression garments,” said Rep. Schakowsky.
H.R. 3630 is identical to S. 1315, introduced in April 2021 by U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA). The U.S. Senate version remains under consideration in the U.S. Senate Finance Committee.