We're certain more than a few people were surprised to read in these pages last week that most health insurance policies don't cover anywhere near the cost of obtaining a prosthetic limb if the real one is lost due to disease or accident. Now a couple of North Shore lawmakers, spurred on by a Salem woman who lost her leg in a freak accident last year, are out to change that.

Sen. Fred Berry, D-Peabody, has long been a critic of the selective coverage policies of companies here in the Bay State that in the past, for instance, would cover illnesses of the body, but not of the mind; or subsidize the cost of a Viagra prescription, but not one for contraceptives. So Juliet Bryce and Keith Cornell no doubt found a receptive audience when they visited him to explain why those companies should be required to treat prosthetics like any other drug or device necessary to allow one to live a healthy life.

Bryce was mowed down by a reckless driver while coming out of a sub shop on the Beverly side of the Veterans Memorial Bridge a year ago, and the story of her recovery from those injuries has been an inspiration to the entire community. Keith Cornell, on the other hand, has a financial stake in such legislation, being the owner of a Salem company that sells orthotics and prosthetics. But he's no doubt seen the hardship families can suffer when they have to struggle over how to pay for an artificial limb that can range up to $30,000 in cost.

And the frustration must be especially acute for those who have faithfully paid their insurance premiums every week, year after year, with the expectation that help would be there when they needed it. It wasn't for Bryce when it came time to pay for her artificial leg.

While the insurance companies will rightfully argue that they are struggling to contain costs in the face of increased consumer demand for everything from their choice of physician to the latest and greatest drug, Berry rightly points out that given the relatively small number of people who require such devices, the overall cost should be minimal.

The Senate dean won approval for the legislation from a majority of his colleagues in a vote last week, and now Bryce and her husband, former Ward 1 Councilor Scott LaCava, are looking to another veteran lawmaker, Salem's J. Michael Ruane, to carry it through to passage in the House of Representatives. LaCava says he's encouraged both by the clout he knows Ruane wields within the House leadership and the fact the insurance companies have thus far failed to mount a concerted effort to defeat the bill.

But as LaCava points out, time is running short with the Legislature scheduled to go into recess July 31 in advance of the election this fall and the insurance industry lobbyists could still make things difficult between now and then. People pay plenty for these insurance plans. They have a right to expect a reasonable return when it comes time to collect on them.