Greetings Freedom Fighters,
Now that we have a break from the business in our State Capitol, we need to turn our attention to some issues at the federal level.

The following information is in regard to legislation we need passed in the US Congress.

There are currently 48 cosponsors on the House legislation and 3 on the Senate.  None of them are from Florida.  Let’s change that and pronto.
Please get the letter writing campaign going at the Chapter meeting, send requests to the letters out though your newsletters and use your email lists as well so we can get participation from our members who are not able to make it to the meetings.

HIPAA Recreational Injury Technical Correction Act
Help close the loophole and end discrimination against motorcyclists.

Motorcyclists in Florida unite!  We need letters written to your United States Representatives in the US Congress, as well as to Senator Nelson and Senator Martinez. 
We addressed this initially almost a decade ago but the bureaucrats have succeeded in going against the wishes of that previous Congress.  Our protections as motorcyclists have been lost and we must regain them. 

If you do no know who your Representative in the US Congress is, you can look at your voter ID card for the US Congressional district and then you can find the name and address of who to write to in the blue pages of your phone book.   You can also get on the internet and go to http://www.vote-smart.org/index.htm and enter your full zip + 4 zip code.  This will tell you who your US House Representative is and their contact information as well.  You can also call the US Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121.

MESSAGE to US House members: 
Please sign on as a co-sponsor to HR 1076.  It is important to me that you support and vote for the ‘HIPAA Recreational Injury Technical Correction Act'.  Please do not allow employers and insurance companies to continue to have the ability to discriminate against me for choosing to legally ride a motorcycle.

The message is the same to Senator Nelson and Senator Martinez except the Senate has a different bill number, S 616.

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation reports that US Representative Michael Burgess (R-TX), the bill sponsor, had this to say, "No one should be denied health insurance benefits because they prefer to drive a motorcycle. It is essential to provide health care benefits to those who have slipped through the loophole by protecting their access to substantive health care."  All motorcyclists in Florida and across the nation need our help on this legislation.  Let’s get behind this and work together to make sure Florida does its part to make sure that we can move this legislation and close a loophole in Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) that denies health care benefits for those who participate in legal transportation and recreational activities. In January 2001, a rule was issued that was intended to ensure non-discrimination in health coverage in the group market. That rule prohibits health plans and issuers from denying coverage to individuals who engage in certain types of recreational activities such as skiing, horseback riding, snowmobiling or motorcycling.  The way the rule was written has allowed insurers to deny health benefits for an otherwise covered injury that results from participation in these activities.  If we can help get this legislation passed, we will close the loophole.

We have 25 US House members from Florida and our two Senators so we have a lot of weight to pull in the US Congress.  These 3 letters will take very little time to write and send but our investment of the time is very important.  You may be safe today, but if you change jobs tomorrow, you may run into problems yourself.  Don’t wait.  There is no reason to allow them to continue to discriminate against motorcyclists anyway, so take a stand now.  It is important that we act now and act together to make our voices heard.

There is also an attachment in case you want to use all of part of it in a newsletter.

Ride safe out there and help flood our Florida US Congressional delegation with requests to sign on as a cosponsor and support the HIPAA technical correction
JEB