In 2008 the Fraternal Order of Eagles hired a lobbyist to begin assisting with government relations efforts in Washington D.C.

• “CARES Act” — Children’s Access to Reconstructive Evaluation and Surgeries (CARES) Act S. 1588 and H.R. 1655
  • “Children with birth Defects should not be denied life-altering surgery…” — Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Sponsor of the CARES Act
  • “It is a tragedy that life insurance companies continue to deny treatment to over 50 percent of children who suffer from birth defects.” — Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN), Co-Sponsor of the CARES Act
  • Every year in the [[United States]] about 120,000 babies are born suffering from birth defects.
  • About 40,000 children require reconstructive surgery for their conditions, including cleft palate, cleft lip, malformations of the ear, hand, or foot, or for more profound craniofacial deformities.
  • The American Medical Association asserts that “the treatment of a minor child’s congenital or developmental deformity . . . should be covered by all insurers” and that the treatment should seek to “return the patient to a more normal appearance.” However, evidence suggests that insurance companies are increasingly denying access to reconstructive surgery to children with birth defects.
  • Legislation has been introduced in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives that would require all group and individual health insurance coverage and all group health plans to provide coverage for surgery and other outpatient and inpatient medical reatments related to a minor child’s congenital or developmental deformity.
  • In the Senate, this legislation, the Children’s Access to Reconstructive Evaluation and Surgeries (CARES) Act (S. 1588), was introduced by Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN) and currently has 11 cosponsors. In the House, similar legislation, H.R. 1655, was introduced by Representative Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) and Rep. Patrick Tiberi (R-OH) and has 55 cosponsors.