Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Applaud Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) For Introducing Legislation to Require Insurance Coverage for Children With Congenital D...( ROSEMONT Ill. June 16 -- The (L...),Health

ROSEMONT, Ill., June 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) applauds Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) on introducing S. 1235, the Senate companion bill to H.R. 1339, the Children's Access to Reconstructive Evaluation and Surgery (CARES) Act. The bill would require insurance plans that provide surgical benefits, including those under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), to cover reconstructive surgeries for children with congenital deformities, including craniofacial anomalies. The CARES Act would set an important national standard for ensuring that families who have insurance coverage receive the necessary care for their children with these conditions.

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Each year, approximately 1 child in 600 is born with some type of craniofacial abnormality that may result in distortion of facial tissue, the oral cavity, and the skull. The most widely known craniofacial conditions are cleft lip and palate. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons donate thousands of hours each year performing corrective surgery on children suffering from congenital deformities who are uninsured or living in medically underserved areas. However, thousands of children currently covered under health insurance plans are not able to receive corrective surgery because insurers deem the procedures "cosmetic" and deny the claims. While craniofacial anomalies may affect appearance, they often impede a child's ability to chew food, speak
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