Marifran Mattson
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By Julie Preble
Junior, Ag Communication

A department associate professor was a driving force behind a new law in Indiana that will increase insurance coverage of prosthetics.

Professor Marifran Mattson worked on and fought for state House Bill 1140, which will help current and future amputees.

Mattson is the chair of the Indiana Amputee Insurance Protection Coalition, and she has worked alongside fellow amputees, prosthetists, and caregivers to see this bill through.

The bill recently was passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Mitch Daniels. It will take effect on July 1, 2008.

Mattson testified four or five times and was even haggled for taking the stand. On one occasion, a woman badgered Mattson by saying the bill wouldn't help her and she shouldn't be on the stand, said Mattson. Though Mattson is an amputee, the state bill will not specifically help her. Her insurance is through Purdue University and is on the federal level.

The woman's efforts did not deter Mattson from continuing the fight for the bill.

The new law will help to ensure that amputees get the coverage they need for their prosthetics. In recent years, insurance companies have been decreasing the coverage of these prosthetics, Mattson said.

It is an easy place for them to cut their costs, Mattson said. Amputees are a small percentage of the population, and the decrease in coverage goes unnoticed.

"Amputees deserve to have basic medical coverage like everyone else," said Mattson.

Mattson said the insurance companies will pay for the amputation, but the prosthetic is a different matter. Though the companies do provide compensation for a prosthetic, it is often not enough to cover the entire cost.

Mattson said it is normal for there to be a cap or limit on the coverage, but it is generally only a portion of the full price, and sometimes amputees are limited to one prosthetic per lifetime, regardless of their age.

Prosthetics wear down and, in some cases, need to be refitted many times; it isn't reasonable to think that one device will last a lifetime, Mattson said.

Most people don't know that their prosthetic may not be covered, and some will not find out until after the prosthetist has sent the bill, Mattson said.

Mattson said she does not believe her work makes her a martyr, but she said she does know now that her accident happened for a reason.

"I'm not doing this for myself; I'm doing it for other people," said Mattson.

The coalition is fighting at the state level, and there is another initiative that will be lobbying for a similar bill on the federal level. According to their Campaign to Ensure Prosthetic Coverage, the Amputee Coalition of America will launch a federal campaign in 2008.