Events

Event: '2nd Annual Amputee Skydive'

More than 30 Amputees to Skydive Over Houston

15 Amputee Wounded Warriors skydive with the Airborne Amputees hosted by Limbs of Love in an effort to raise awareness of Prosthetic Parity legislation

WHAT: Limbs of Love 2nd Annual Airborne Amputee Skydive sponsored by Houston based Limbs of Love. There will be nearly 50 amputees in attendance, 15 of who are amputee Wounded Warriors that lost their limbs while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, who will jump as a symbol of hope for amputees across the world. In addition, Limbs of Love will be urging Congress to pass the Prosthetic Parity Act of 2008, a bill requiring healthcare companies to provide prosthetic coverage for artificial limbs on par with Medicare. Nearly 1.7 million Americans live with the absence or loss of a limb, and many of these, despite paying their healthcare coverage premiums, do not have coverage for an artificial limb.

WHEN: Saturday, March 28, 2009

WHERE: Skydive Spaceland
16111 FM 521
Rosharon, TX 77583
(Suburb just south of Houston, TX)

TIMELINE:

• 9:15 am - Arrival of Wounded Warriors escorted by 200 Patriot Riders
• 9:45am - Motivational speaker Dana Bowman will skydive into opening ceremonies
• 10:45am - Amputee skydive; Amputee Veterans will be skydiving prior to amputees then non-amputees
• 12:00pm - Raffle drawing by Houston Rockets Power Dancers

AVAILABLE SPOKESPERSONS:

• Joe Sansone, founder of Limbs of Love
• Various Wounded Warriors
• Dana Bowman, past member of the U.S. Elite Parachute team, the Golden Knights, who lost both of his legs in a midair collision in 1994.
• Sunny Chism: 15-year-old beauty pageant winner whose insurance company refused to pay for prosthetic arm.
• Tentative: Congressman Al Green

LEGISTLATIVE INFORMATION: Nearly 1.7 million Americans live with the absence or loss of a limb, and many of these, despite paying their healthcare coverage premiums, do not have coverage for an artificial limb. While most private healthcare plans will pay for the surgical costs of amputating a limb, and other medical necessities, many eliminate prosthetic limb coverage altogether.

Healthcare coverage limitations are especially troubling given the improvements in innovations of today's prosthetic devices, which will be exhibited by military personnel who have lost limbs while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, and who will be skydiving with the Airborne Amputees at this event.

HB 806 the prosthetic party bill has been introduced in Texas to require healthcare companies to provide prosthetic coverage for artificial limbs on par with Medicare. On a national level U.S. Senators Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) introduced the Prosthetic Parity Act of 2008, a bill to ensure that group health plans treat coverage of prosthetic devices on par with Medicare coverage.