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Tell Congress to Pass the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act

Dear [title] [last name],

I’m writing today as your constituent to urge you to please become a co-sponsor of the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act (ELSA) which was reintroduced by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Representatives Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Drew Ferguson (R-GA) on March 16th, 2021 (H.R.1916/S.754).

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 in both houses of Congress and over 30 patient advocacy and health care professional organizations also support this legislation.

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

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summary

The Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act will help ACPA families and practitioners ensure our patients receive appropriate financial support for all of their healthcare needs by closing loopholes that allow insurance companies to deny medically and dentally necessary treatment and services for patients.

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why sign?

  • The impact of cleft lip/cleft palate goes beyond just the facial appearance, where studies have shown that self-esteem, academic performance and social relationships are also affected. Patients undergo multiple reconstructive operations throughout childhood and adolescence to restore function as well as improve appearance. The lifetime cost of treating a child with an orofacial cleft approximates $100K. Despite having coverage, insurance companies are still able deny claims by categorizing treatment as cosmetic or not medically necessary. ELSA works to close loopholes that allow insurance companies to deny medically and dentally necessary treatment and services for patients with various conditions. ELSA works to alleviate the financial hardship for people with cleft and craniofacial anomalies and ensure continued support for medical and dental needs beyond childhood. ELSA includes services performed to improve, repair, or restore bodily function or performed to approximate a normal appearance, due to a congenital anomaly or birth defect.