The Honorable Orrin Hatch

The Honorable Mike Lee

United States Senate
Washington, D. C. 20510

I am writing to advocate for S.977 - Medicare Home Health Flexibility Act of

2017, which would allow for occupational therapists (OT), under Medicare, to initiate
home health cases. Currently, OTs are not able to conduct home health therapy unless
the patient already receives physical therapy (PT), speech therapy, or nursing. In
addition, this means that an OT cannot perform an initial or comprehensive home health
assessment. This, quite simply, is illogical.
Home health services are an increasingly important part of our healthcare
networks, costing less, providing higher levels of patient comfort and convenience, while
providing effective care. An OT is a professional that is specifically trained in the
assessment of function, safety, and adaptability of a patient’s environment with respect
to their mental and physical capabilities. For this reason, an OT is the exact practitioner
most suited to performing home health visits and assessments. Yet, as the law currently
stands, OTs are only allowed in a patient’s home after other professionals are already
present and are only allowed to perform comprehensive assessments when no other
medical professionals are rendering service. This needs to change.
The current law is arbitrary and unfair to our American population. Not only is it
illogical, but this act has been rated a zero by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO),
meaning it will not cost the government anything to pass it. By excluding some of our
most competent healthcare providers from performing a home health assessment, we
are causing harm. I invite you to examine two ethical principles that underlie the
approach of all healthcare practitioners: beneficence and nonmaleficence, which require
our actions to promote good (beneficence) and avoid harm (nonmaleficence). Please
use your vote effectively, and apply these principles as your guide. As an OT student,
congress’ decision on this matter will affect not only my future, but more importantly, the
future of our medically fragile populations.

Sincerely,
Jackson Ball
University of Utah
Master of Occupational Therapy program (MOT)
 This assignment helped increase my knowledge of current affairs. As I looked for

topics to write about, I stumbled across many issues that affect the OT profession. I

learned about how the AOTA website provides resources and information on political

issues affecting the profession. I am still very new to understanding the ins and outs of

medicare/medicaid and the ways in which insurance covers, or does not cover, certain

medical situations. In addition, it was a good exercise to force me to write a letter to a

senator. While I’m politically-interested, I’m also politically-jaded. Therefore, I’ve

abstained from letter writing because I’ve always assumed that my words would go

unread or unheeded (I suppose I gave up after writing a letter-to-the-editor in the

seventh grade objecting to the Iraq War). This is an unfortunate thought to have while

living in a so-called republic - where the elected officials should theoretically represent

their constituents to the best of their abilities. However, exercising my ability to write a

letter to political leaders that I profoundly disagree with, was ultimately cathartic,

informative, and hopefully, effective.

Now, onwards, to write that letter about the state of environmental regulation in Utah

and the United States as a whole!