News from the AOA's Blog

Legislation that would provide full recognition for doctors of optometry under the Medicaid program has received a boost in Capitol Hill support as a result of outreach conducted by hundreds of AOA doctors and students during the 2011 AOA Congressional Advocacy Conference.

Through many in-depth meetings held with their elected representatives, AOA doctors and students urged lawmakers to co-sponsor the AOA-backed Optometric Equity in Medicaid Act (H.R. 1219) and made clear that the situation facing working men and women, children and seniors in need of primary eye care services has grown more urgent.

Introduced by Reps. Ralph Hall (R-Texas) and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), the bipartisan legislation seeks to avert a potential crisis in access to primary eye care for Medicaid patients by amending the federal Medicaid statute to fully recognize optometrists to provide “medical and other health services to the extent those services may be performed under state law.”

In the weeks following the 2011 AOA Congressional Advocacy Conference, the optometry-backed bill has recieved a rush of new co-sponsors (commitments of support from individual members of Congress).

However, the AOA Advocacy Group warns that even more support will be needed to make this effort a priority for the 112th Congress.

In 1986, doctors of optometry were recognized as physicians in Medicare.

And as a result, for 25 years, America’s seniors have been able to choose their local optometrist for covered primary eye care.

Unfortunately, in Medicaid, for too long there has been restricted access and few, if any, choices when it comes to essential eye health.

Although optometrists have long provided the bulk – recent estimates indicate up to 81 percent – of primary eye health and vision care through Medicaid, the program too often fails to fully recognize optometrists to offer covered medical services they are trained, licensed and ready, willing and able to provide.

In addition to restricting access to care, existing law allows bureaucrats and, increasingly, managed care companies to make important medical decisions for patients who need eye care.

Today, the ability of optometrists to provide care to Medicaid patients continues to be at-risk due to the program’s view of optometry as an “optional service.”

For working men and women, this type of outdated provider discrimination can result in delayed or even denied care for an eye disease, like glaucoma, a serious infection, a foreign body in the eye, an undiagnosed vision disorder or even diabetes, the leading cause of acquired blindness for adults. 

In addition, taxpayers ultimately pay even higher costs when much-needed access to primary care is restricted.

Reps. Hall and Schakowsky worked with the AOA and others to develop this bi-partisan, pro-competitive approach to getting expanded access to quality, essential eye care to the communities where it’s most needed.

Importantly, the bill does not authorize any new spending or add any new covered benefit; it merely gives patients important choice and access to medical eye care already covered by Medicaid.

For more information on how to become more involved in federal advocacy and help the AOA build support for H.R. 1219, please contact the AOA Washington office at 800-365-2219 or send an e-mail to ImpactWashingtonDC@aoa.org.

To watch AOA advocacy in action and see video highlights from the 2011 AOA Congressional Advocacy Conference, please follow: http://bit.ly/mQ8KJM.