A huge stride was made at the end of September with the introduction of S. 4708 by Senator Blumenthal [D-CT] and co-leads Senators Shaheen [D-NH] and Booker [D-NJ]. S.4708 serves as a companion bill, meaning it brings the issue of wig inaccessibility to the attention of the Senate. H.R. 5430, which will mandate insurance coverage for wigs under Medicare, currently has 22 representative co-sponsors. Thus, turning to the Senate will increase the likelihood of passing this legislation.
Mandating insurance coverage for cranial prostheses is crucial for the hair loss community. Alopecia has been proven to lead to greater risks of depression and suicide. Further, treatments for the condition have costly price tags. On top of these costs, wigs intended for everyday use cost upwards of thousands of dollars. The Alopecia Justice League is determined that every individual with hair loss has the choice of what to wear on their head without bearing any financial burdens.
Because S. 4708 was recently introduced, we need your help to garner more support. S. 4708 has 4 co-sponsors and needs 47 more to be passed. Any bill in the Senate requires the majority support of 51 out of the 100 Senators. Anyone can make a difference by contacting your representatives. You can find email and call scripts and a video tutorial on our H.R. 5430 subpage.
To learn more about S. 4708, visit its congressional page