SCOTTSDALE, AZ – Fourteen-year-old Bridget Korn, a freshman volleyball player at Horizon High School and member of the U.S. Paralympic Development volleyball team, is advocating for Arizona House Bill 2333, which aims to expand insurance coverage for activity-specific prosthetic limbs. The bill recently passed the House Health and Human Services Committee and is now moving forward, though advocates anticipate opposition from insurance lobbies.
Korn, who had her right leg amputated in 2018 following a diagnosis of osteosarcoma, a particularly aggressive form of bone cancer, currently relies on multiple prosthetic devices. These include a standard leg for daily walking, a specialized leg designed for the demands of volleyball, and another for water activities. Each device can cost tens of thousands of dollars, according to her mother, Jamie Korn.
“The curve in (this device) is supposed to assist with, like, running, and it helps you, like, jump higher, and it has more spring in it than my everyday leg,” Bridget Korn explained, describing the volleyball prosthetic. “My everyday leg is just for walking around.”
Currently, the family’s insurance only covers the cost of a basic prosthetic for walking. The specialized limbs required for sports and other activities are not considered medically necessary by the insurance provider, leaving the Korn family to seek financial assistance from charities and organizations. “All three of those legs are not covered by our insurance and that’s when it becomes almost a full-time job for myself and for Bridget to go to charities and to go to organizations and ask for help,” Jamie Korn said.
Representative Ralph Heap introduced HB 2333 last month, seeking to address this gap in coverage. The bill proposes expanding insurance coverage to include prosthetic limbs tailored for specific activities, such as sports, work, or even to facilitate everyday tasks like bathing. It similarly seeks to cover the costs of repairs and replacements for these devices.
Leslie Martinez-Wills, a certified prosthetist orthotist, highlighted the broader health implications of limited prosthetic coverage. “Statistically speaking, children with mobility limitations are two times more likely to have obesity, and one in two adults are actually non-active if they have some type of mobility limitation,” she stated. Martinez-Wills also noted that six other states have already enacted similar legislation, with minimal impact on insurance premiums.
Bridget Korn hopes the passage of HB 2333 will not only benefit her but also countless others with amputations. “I shouldn’t have to sell my story to charities and foundations to get a prosthetic that I require for my sports or just for every day,” she said. She aspires to compete on the U.S. Paralympic women’s volleyball team, play volleyball in college, and earn a scholarship, believing that expanded insurance coverage will significantly improve her chances of achieving these goals.