SEBCM Bill is now officially a law!

So Every BODY Can Move

Insurance Coverage for Activity-Specific Devices

Bill expansion is passed and signed into law by Governor Moore


Sheryl Sachs, Dankmeyer CPO and State Lead for So EveryBody Can Move legislation passed in Maryland writes:

So Every BODY Can Move is a grassroots policy and advocacy initiative to create equitable and life-changing access to orthotic and prosthetic care necessary for physical activity for individuals with disabilities. In 2024, we became the 6th state to pass coverage as part of the national effort to clarify coverage for activity-specific devices. Since January 1st, 2025, individuals with state-regulated health insurance plans have been able to receive activity-specific prostheses, paid for by their insurance.

As the State Lead Advocate for So Every BODY Can Move - Maryland, I am thrilled to share a monumental achievement for our community and state.

After months of hard work, dedication, and passion from countless advocates, partners, and legislative sponsors, lead sponsors Senator Beidle and Delegate Martinez, along with original co-sponsors Senator Gile, Senator Hettleman, and Delegate Cullison, I am pleased to share that SB 276/HB 445 have passed the Maryland legislature and have been signed into law by Governor Moore. This legislation builds upon or previous efforts, and will go into effect on January 1, 2027.

Thanks to the unwavering support, advocacy, and collective effort of individuals and organizations like yours, our state has successfully passed legislation that mandates health insurance coverage for orthotic devices specifically designed for physical activity, sport, and exercise. This legislative victory marks a significant step forward in dismantling healthcare inequities and reaffirms our belief that access to movement is a right, not a privilege.

What This Legislation Means:

This new law addresses a critical gap in our healthcare system for the limb loss, limb difference, and mobility impaired community. Historically, insurance did not cover prosthetic nor custom orthotic devices for physical activity, sports, and exercise. Although exercise and physical activity are viewed as an integral part of everyday life by the general public, insurance companies often consider a second, activity-specific prosthesis not medically necessary. Our successful legislative reform ensures that qualifying patient candidates are not denied the right to move, engage in sports, or exercise due to the lack of access to necessary protheses or orthoses.

Next Steps:

The legislation will go into effect on January 1, 2027 with the following key provisions:

  • Fully insurance commercial health insurance plans, State employee plans, and Maryland Medicaid are required to cover additional prosthetic and/or custom orthotic devices for physical activity deemed medically necessary by a treating healthcare prescriber in a non-discriminatory manner.

  • Coverage includes the assessment, fitting, all materials and components necessary to use the devices, repairs/replacements, and maintenance of these devices, ensuring that individuals receive comprehensive support.

  • Insurers subject to the legislation must submit a report of claims data to the state’s insurance agency.

The So Every BODY Can Move legislation in Maryland impacts the following:

  • Patient Age: all ages

  • Insurance Plans Affected: fully insured state commercial plans, state employee plans, and Medicaid

  • Devices Covered: activity-specific prostheses and custom orthoses (when deemed medically necessary)

  • Additional implementation communication will be developed in collaboration with healthcare providers, insurance companies, and advocacy groups to ensure smooth adoption and compliance.

How to Start Getting Access:

Starting on January 1, 2027, individuals with health insurance plans impacted by the legislation can start the following:

  1. Review Patient Plan: After the bill goes into effect, beneficiaries are encouraged to review their health insurance plans and understand the new coverage options available.

  2. Consult Healthcare Provider: Individuals requiring prosthetic or custom orthotic devices for physical activity should consult their healthcare providers about their needs and support with the medical necessity authorization.

  3. Partner with O&P Provider: Patients should collaborate with the O&P provider to determine which device will meet their need for physical activity and to start the claims process. Healthcare and O&P Providers will be instrumental in navigating the new coverage provisions.

  4. Begin Claims and Reimbursement Process: After our state’s So Every BODY Can Move legislation goes into effect, O&P providers can begin the claims and reimbursement process. The claims and reimbursement process will remain the same as receiving a device for daily living.

  5. Stay Informed: So Every BODY Can Move will continue to offer resources and support to healthcare providers and the community to ensure everyone can make the most of this legislative change.

Your Role Moving Forward:

As valued stakeholders in this initiative, your ongoing support and advocacy remain crucial. We encourage you to:

● Spread the word within your networks about this legislative win and the new coverage provisions.

● Engage with us in upcoming initiatives to monitor the implementation of the law and address any challenges that may arise.

● Continue championing the rights to health and movement in our community and beyond.

Stay connected with all things So Every BODY Can Move - https://soeverybodycanmove.org/

This victory is a testament to what we can achieve together. Let us continue to work together to ensure that every individual has the opportunity to move freely and live a full, active life.

Thank you for your unwavering support and dedication to this cause.

Warmest regards,

Sheryl N Sachs, MSPO, CPO

Lead Advocate

So Every BODY Can Move- Maryland

sebcm.md@gmail.com

Passing with Time to Spare!

With just one week left in the Maryland Legislative Session, we are thrilled to share that both of our bills have passed through the opposite chambers, which will send them to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law! Both bills passed unanimously through the Senate Chamber, and the House Chamber only had a few dissenters who voted against the legislation. Both bills had bipartisan support.

Since becoming the 6th state to pass legislation as part of the So Every BODY Can Move initiative, Maryland is again amongst the first to expand current law. We join New Mexico, Oregon, and Georgia, who all expanded their laws in various ways, and there are handful of states that are working hard to accomplish the same before their sessions end.

In Maryland, our first SEBCM law that went into effect on January 1st, 2025 requires insurance companies that are regulated by Maryland law to provide coverage for an additional prosthesis for physical activity when determined to be medically necessary by the individual’s care provider. This includes state commercial insurance plans, state employee insurance plans, and state Medicaid plans.

Our new legislation, which just passed, will expand the current law to include coverage for activity-specific orthoses for those same insurers.

This would not have happened without the lead of Sheryl Sachs, MSPO, CPO and the other advocates around the state who shared their stories and testified at the bill hearings, including our own patient Mr. John Singer, who testified at both hearings to share his story and the impact that passing this legislation would have on the lives of Marylanders like himself.

A huge thank you again to our bill sponsors: SB 276, championed by Senator Pam Beidle and co-sponsors Senator Dawn Gile and Senator Shelly Hettleman, and HB 445, championed by Delegate Ashanti Martinez and original co-sponsor Delegate Bonnie Cullison.

We are hopeful that Governor Moore will sign the bills into law in the next 2 months! Once signed, the law will go into effect January 1st, 2027. Please give our office a call to start planning and to see if you will be eligible for this new coverage through your insurance!

Maryland Legislative Session- 2026 SEBCM Update!

It is hard to believe that last Monday, March 23rd served as cross-over date during the Maryland Legislative Session. This is the date where a bill, a piece of legislation in one chamber (either the House or Senate), needs to pass through to the opposite chamber in order to have the best chance at making it to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law.

As many of you know, Maryland became the 6th state to pass legislation as part of the So Every BODY Can Move initiative during the 2024 Maryland Legislative Session. The law went into effect on January 1st, 2025 and it requires insurance companies that are regulated by Maryland laws to provide coverage for an additional prosthesis for physical activity when determined to be medically necessary by the individual’s care provider. This includes state commercial insurance plans, state employee insurance plans, and state Medicaid plans.

During this legislative session, we looked to expand on the current law to include coverage for activity-specific orthoses. Having learned a lot from the past two years, the Maryland coalition, led by Sheryl Sachs, MSPO, CPO, worked with legislators to hit the ground running this past January with the start of the legislative session.

Once again, Maryland had two bills filed when session started, SB 276, championed by Senator Pam Beidle and co-sponsors Senator Dawn Gile and Senator Shelly Hettleman, and HB 445, championed by Delegate Ashanti Martinez and original co-sponsor Delegate Bonnie Cullison.

Both bills had hearings in February, and our patient, John Singer, graciously testified at both hearings to share his story and the impact that passing this legislation would have on the lives of Marylanders like himself should it pass. His powerful testimony, along with the other advocates, painted a picture as to the importance of this medically-necessary care.

We are excited to share that both bills passed out of their chambers prior to the crossover date! They are moving their way through the opposite chambers, and we hope that before the end of session on April 13th, they will pass!

SEBCM Mobility Day Weekend

Photo courtesy of Matt Ryb Pictures for SEBCM.

The weekend of December 4th was a weekend to remember. The So Every BODY Can Move Mobility Day weekend was planned to celebrate the legislation that went into effect on January 1, 2025.

On that day, the So Every BODY Can Move legislation, which passed during the 2024 Maryland legislative session, went into effect. At Dankmeyer, we have seen first-hand the amazing impact of this legislation, which provides insurance coverage for our patients for receive an additional prosthesis for physical activity.* In celebration of this law going into effect earlier this year, Dankmeyer was proud to support and sponsor multiple community events as part of the So Every BODY Can Move Mobility Day weekend.

To kick things off, So Every BODY Can Move partnered with Ottobock to provide a continuing education course focused on the nuances of running prostheses. Around 50 healthcare providers in the Maryland and surrounding areas, including the majority of Dankmeyer’s clinical staff, were in attendance to learn about different components, alignment, fabrication, and fitting of running prostheses, providing them the knowledge to ensure that all patients receiving running prostheses will receive the most appropriate device for their needs. The event ended with a live patient demonstration, where attendees were able to witness a patient truly run for the first time since his amputation surgery 6 years prior!

With the continuation of spreading knowledge, So Every BODY Can Move partnered with the Adaptive Training Academy for an immersive adaptive training experience, where participants had the opportunity to train as if they were an individual with limb loss, limb difference, or with a mobility impairment. They then learned how to properly adapt exercises and use adaptive equipment, which can be used with patients in the clinic or gym settings as they work to improve their physical activity, whether with an activity-specific prosthesis or without.

Photo courtesy of Matt Ryb Pictures for SEBCM.

The final event of this amazing weekend was the official So Every BODY Can Move Mobility Day. Dankmeyer was proud to serve as a champion sponsor for this amazing event. Over 100 individuals, including volunteers and members of the limb loss/limb difference community, came together to celebrate and learn from each other. SEBCM National Leaders Nicole Ver Kuilen and Kyle Stepp flew in from the west coast to be at this event, and speakers also included the Assistant Secretary for the Maryland Department of Disabilities Kim McKay, and Delegate Ashanti Martinez, who was the primary bill sponsor for the So Every BODY Can Move house bill that expanded prosthetic coverage in the state.

Individuals had the opportunity to learn adaptive yoga with Yoga 4 Amputees (Y4A), learn how to play adaptive tennis with the Junior Tennis Champions Center (JTCC) and adaptive soccer with American Amputee Soccer Association (AASA), trial running under the supervision of skilled clinicians, including many Dankmeyer CPOs, and participate in adaptive functional/strength training with the Adaptive Training Academy (ATA). Peloton instructor and co-founder of ATA, Logan Aldridge, was in attendance and worked with all of the participants. (You can follow Logan on Instagram - click here.) It was an inspiring event, and Dankmeyer looks forward to continuing to supporting not just So Every BODY Can Move, but the community and patients they serve so that every body can move.

If you have a story to share, please let us know or reach out to sebcm.md@gmail.com.

 

This story was provided by Dankmeyer clinician Sheryl Sachs, CPO, who was instrumental in moving the legislation forward in Maryland. She currently serves as the State Lead for Maryland’s SEBCM initiative.

The photos in this article are courtesy of SEBCM (Matt Ryb Pictures) and Angie Bryl, CPO.

* It is important to note that only fully insured state insurance plans, state employee insurance plans, and Maryland Medicaid plans (all plans) are subject to state laws. If your insurance does not provide coverage under the new law, but you are interested in provision of an activity-specific prosthesis, please call Dankmeyer to set up a consultation with one of our practitioners to discuss potential coverage options.