The U.S. House of Representatives voted to approve the Steve Gleason Act on Wednesday, which will give citizens with disabilities greater freedoms and autonomy with their care.
“This is a huge victory for ALS patients across the country," Sen. David Vitter said, per Juan Sanchez of WDSU.com. "Making this equipment more accessible and affordable will give them the ability to communicate with their family and friends—even literally giving them a voice when they lose their ability to speak."
The bill will now go to President Barack Obama to be signed into law. Under the new system, patients with ALS and other debilitating diseases will have access to speech-generating devices that Medicare and Medicaid were previously denying.