I’m writing today as your constituent to urge you to co-sponsor the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act (ELSA) which was reintroduced by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) on March 16, 2021 (S.754). The house version of the bill (H.R.1916) was passed with bi-partisan support 310-110 on April 4, 2022.

ELSA ensures health insurance benefits for medically necessary services performed to improve, repair, or restore bodily function and services performed to approximate a normal appearance, due to a congenital anomaly or birth defect. Insurance companies often deny claims for congenital anomaly treatment as cosmetic or not medically necessary, which places the financial responsibility entirely on families. These families are acutely aware of the financial and emotional burden of medically necessary interventions that allow their children to achieve normal function and appearance. ELSA works to close these loopholes and stipulates coverage for children with craniofacial anomalies to ensure continued support for medical and dental needs from childhood into adulthood.

ELSA has strong bipartisan support from 42 co-sponsors in the Senate as of November 11th. Over 70 patient advocacy and health care professional organizations have also supported this bill. Please co-sponsor the bill to help ensure this important legislation gets passed before the end of the 117th Session!

Thank you in advance for supporting ELSA and for being an advocate for people with cleft and craniofacial differences! We appreciate your help.