Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman Sends Letter To Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Seeking Information on Women’s Urinary Health Care Coverage Options
Washington, D.C. (February 9, 2024) — Today, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) sent a letter to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure inquiring about the coverage options and accessibility of external urinary collection devices (EUDs) for women.
“I am concerned about the potential gender disparities and accessibility in coverage of these devices,” Congresswoman Watson Coleman states in the letter. “Women are still more likely to develop a catheter-associated urinary tract infection than men. Female EUDs are an effective alternative to not only decrease infections, but to also allow patients to use these devices at their homes.”
In the letter, Congresswoman Watson Coleman requested information from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the criteria by which women may qualify to have EUDs covered, and the options for women who do not meet those criteria. She also inquired as to whether or not CMS has considered expanding the list of qualifying conditions for coverage to include varying degrees of urinary incontinence that many women experience following childbirth.
Lastly, Congresswoman Watson Coleman noted that recent developments in medical technology over the past decade have increased the number of female EUDs available on the market, and seeks information on whether or not CMS has considered broadening the kinds of female EUDs that are covered, as many devices designed for male anatomy already are.
The letter gives Administrator Brooks-LaSure 30 days to respond.
The full letter can be read here.