THE Challenge! Spring 2011

From my desk
President’s Message
Americans shell out $1.5 trillion
each year for insurance
premiums. We buy financial
protection for ourselves and our
possessions so that we can sleep better
at night. Frequently that protection
falls short of our needs. Sometimes it
is because we are tricked by the “fine
print,” but more often key terms and
conditions are presented upfront and in
plain sight – we just don’t know what
they mean.
Recently I learned that when your home
is destroyed, by a flood for example, a
typical homeowners’ policy will pay for
you to live elsewhere while your home
is rebuilt. The catch is, you only get one
year of free rent. For many families,
12 months is not enough time to assess the damage, clear the
debris, hire an architect, obtain the permits, build a new place
and furnish it in your own way. This is especially true if your
home is destroyed in a common disaster. When the demand
for rebuilding is high, the process slows down and the costs
skyrocket so standard coverage is insufficient.
Just like homeowners insurance, health insurance is often
inadequate in catastrophic situations. Lengths of stay aren’t
long enough, there aren’t enough specialized providers in the
network and there’s too much paperwork and red tape. And just
like building a new home, rehabilitation is a slow, sometimes
painful, process. The outside walls go up quickly, but the inside
work takes a long, long time. And like home maintenance,
disease management is an ongoing process.
Whether buying homeowners insurance or health insurance,
most people agree that “hindsight” is 20/20. Wouldn’t it be
great if “foresight” were 20/20 too? That is, wouldn’t it be
great if we knew what we were buying before we bought it?
One of the goals of the health reform law is to make health
insurance plans more transparent. The Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act authorizes the National Association of
Insurance Commissioners to work with stakeholders to develop
“coverage facts labels.” These labels will be similar to the
nutrition facts labels on the food we buy – the labels will tell
us what’s inside the policy. Information labels sound like a
good idea until we remember that some people don’t know how
much protein or sodium they need and even fewer know what
trans fat or dietary fiber are!
Over the last 30 years, individuals with
brain injury have learned the hard way
that OT, PT, speech, personal care and a
wide range of other services are needed
after brain injury. Of course, everyone is
different so the type and amount of each
therapy or service needed vary widely.
As advocates, it is our job to raise
awareness of brain injury and to help
others understand the complex issues
individuals and families face every day.
As advocates, it is our job to communicate
our needs, goals and choices to friends,
family, professionals and the general
public, including lawmakers.
This issue of THE Challenge! is all about
communication. It describes why speech
language, receptive learning and word
finding is sometimes difficult after brain injury. It offers useful
tips for talking with others after the injury. It explains why many
people in the field are now thinking of and talking about brain
injury as a chronic disease.
This issue also highlights the presentation delivered by Anne
Forrest during Awareness Day on Capitol Hill, as well as the
remarks of Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. and legislative staff from Rep.
Gabrielle Giffords’ office, who joined BIAA’s National Medical
Director Dr. Brent Masel at a recent press conference to urge
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to
write favorable regulations under the Affordable Care Act.
As always, THE Challenge! includes an update on federal
advocacy activities and news and notes from BIAA’s chartered
state affiliates, including the successful Brain Injury Awareness
Month activities conducted across the country. Last, but
definitely not least, this issue sends a great big shout out to
the individuals and organizations that generously support our
mission. Personal donations and corporate sponsorships make
our day-to-day work possible. We are truly grateful.
Susan H. Connors, President/CEO
Brain Injury Association of America
THE Challenge! | Spring 2011
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