Physical therapy may be difficult to access for patients with CA

By Mark Gonzalez, special for Calmatters

This comment was originally published by CalmattersS Register about their ballots.

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My mother is not unknown to the difficulties. She raised me as a lonely mother working for long hours, living salary salary while facing the loss of three sons – one for drowning, one to the aneurysm and one to an epileptic seizure.

It has turned its grief and taught me how stability looks, even when she feels the world is against you.

When she had a stroke two years ago, this lesson came a full circle. I became her caregiver, her voice pushed her health to approve the necessary care.

Even with good insurance, we had to fight arbitrary preliminary permission requirements just to put it in physical therapy. Then in every two sessions we had to ask and wait for approval for the next two.

Recovery does not happen in two visits. This happens when patients have timely, continuous access. It was my inspiration for A assembly Bill 574which would end the vague requirements for the preliminary permission of the insurers and guarantee patients up to 12 physical therapy visits before health plans can delay or refuse care.

Research shows About 90% of patients You need at least as many visits to make real progress. But when patients are forced to wait, they do not waste time – they waste strength and hope and encounter more medical expenses along the way.
Physical therapists are the misunderstood heroes of recovery. They are there when a stroke survives their first steps when a new mother fights through pain after birth, when someone with Parkinson learns new ways to remain independent and when an athlete fights to return to the field.

We cannot leave the bureaucracy from insurance companies to interfere with them. Maine and Indiana They have already passed such laws. This is the turn of California.

Some health plans claim that AB 574 will increase costs. They are wrong. Early, reliable access to physical therapy Reduces healthcare costs by as much as 75% By preventing complications and avoiding unnecessary hospitalizations or reading painkillers.

My mother’s journey taught me how fragile life is, but also how powerful it can be when patients get the right care at the right time. I saw her power – not only physical but also spiritual – they return little by little with every session. Her therapists not only helped her move again; They gave her hope that she would prepare her favorite dishes again, dance at family gatherings and live with dignity.

Her story is not unique. California families face the same battle every day. AB 574, which awaits the signature of Governor Gavin News, can give them a fair shot at a recovery, leaving families to focus on healing instead of obstacles.

This article was Originally Published on CalMatters and was reissued under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Noderivatives License.