Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz was at the University of Hartford in West Hartford on Wednesday, highlighting a measure that would expand insurance coverage for those who rely on prosthetic or orthotic devices.

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Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz joined members of Every BODY Can Move Connecticut, University of Hartford educators, and individuals living with limb loss at the University of Hartford on Wednesday to highlight House Bill 5374. If passed, this bill would modernize Connecticut law to ensure that children and adults who rely on prosthetic and orthotic devices have insurance coverage for medically necessary care, including activity-specific prosthetics and orthotics when clinically appropriate.

Advocates highlighted current policy where insurers frequently override physicians’ recommendations by labeling certain prosthetic and orthotic devices as “not medically necessary,” limiting individuals to a single basic daily device even when it does not allow full participation in school, work, or sports.

These limitations also impact veterans who receive insurance through their employers outside of the VA system. As a result, veteran and civilian patients are frequently forced to choose between incurring prohibitive out-of-pocket costs, risking injury when using ill-fitting or improper devices, or adopting a more sedentary lifestyle – an outcome associated with physical and mental health complications.

Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz joined students, faculty from the Prosthetics and Orthotics Department at the University of Hartford and members of the So Every BODY Can Move Connecticut Coalition at a press conference on March 11, 2026. Courtesy photo

Following the press event, leaders and advocates joined educators from the University of Hartford’s Prosthetics and Orthotics Program to learn about the unique design, function and clinical requirements of activity-specific devices. Education is central to this legislation, as most people assume these devices are already covered by insurance.

Students and faculty in the program are working to bring much-needed attention to this gap in coverage. The University of Hartford’s program is one of only 14 in the country offering graduate-level clinical education in the design, fabrication, and fitting of prostheses and orthoses that transform the lives of patients in our community and across the country who rely on them.

Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz joined students, faculty from the Prosthetics and Orthotics Department at the University of Hartford and members of the So Every BODY Can Move Connecticut Coalition at a press conference on March 11, 2026. Courtesy photo

Insurers should not be able to deny a benefit for an individual with limb loss or limb difference that would be covered for a person without a disability seeking to perform the same activity,” said Lindi Mitsou, Associate Professor of Prosthetics & Orthotics at the University of Hartford and Co-Lead of So Every BODY Can Move CT. “Access to advanced prosthetic and orthotic technology can be life-changing for both physical and mental health. We are encouraged to see Raised Bill HB 5374 move forward and hope it will pass to ensure children, adults, and veterans with limb loss and limb difference can access the devices they need to live active, independent lives.”

To learn more about So Every BODY Can Move, click here.

About So Every BODY Can Move: So Every BODY Can Move (SEBCM) is a national, grassroots-led healthcare and disability rights initiative working to ensure access to prosthetic and orthotic care necessary for physical activity and wellbeing for the limb loss and limb difference community. By mobilizing advocates, sharing powerful stories, and driving state-based legislation, SEBCM aims to pass laws in 28 states by the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics – laying the foundation for long-term national policy reform and empowering every body to thrive with the mobility tools they need.

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