So Every Body Can Move
Mission
So Every BODY Can Move's mission is to create equitable and life-changing access to orthotic and prosthetic care necessary for physical activity for individuals with disabilities.
Impact
We believe movement is medicine and physical activity is a right, not a privilege. But today, thousands of individuals living with limb loss and limb difference are unable to afford and access life-changing prosthetic and orthotic care that helps them be physically active due to a lack of insurance coverage. Running blades and prostheses and orthoses built for athletic use are denied by most state, federal, and private health plans as "not medically necessary." So Every BODY Can Move is working to disrupt this healthcare inequity through state-by-state legislative action. Our work will upend the discriminatory treatment of athletes with disabilities through systems-level change, giving the right to exercise to all.
Status
In less than a year of operation, the So Every BODY Can Move state-based policy and advocacy initiative has taken off like a rocket! In 2023, we supported eight states to introduce our model legislation, requiring private state health plans and Medicaid to cover orthotic and prosthetic care for physical activity. Of those eight, four (Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, and New Mexico) passed the House and Senate, in many cases unanimously, and have now been enacted into law. These four join Maine - with five states in the US now requiring coverage of orthotic and prosthetic care for physical activity. The other four (Indiana, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and New Jersey) will be working towards passing legislation in 2024. Additionally, over 20 state coalitions have contacted our team to bring So Every BODY Can Move to their state in 2024+ with at least 10 of them planning to introduce legislation next year.
Goal
Our goal is to pass this legislation in 28 states by the 2028 Paralympics & Olympics in LA, where we can then pursue federal reform. We are calling this campaign "28x28" to bring attention and support to this goal.
How You Can Help
The initiative is currently working on a shoe-string budget to mobilize advocates and provide technical assistance and advocacy training, legislative analysis, marketing materials and more to over 25 interested states at once. We want to accomplish 28 states by 2028 and the only way we can meet that goal is by increasing our bandwidth through financial support! Thank you for powering this mission through your donation!
