Tag: Delay

WASHINGTON - Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., and Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa, have released a “Dear Colleague” letter urging CMS to delay its competitive bidding program for one year or through the duration of the public health emergency, whichever is longer, AAHomecare reports.Rodgers and Loebsack, long-time HME champions, are asking their fellow members of the House of Representatives to join them in signing the letter, which highlights the role of HME providers in caring for COVID-19...

The disappointment was palpable on Friday, when word began spreading that the Senate had failed to pass a bill delaying a second round of Medicare reimbursement cuts in non-bid areas before it began its long summer recess. I received twitter messages with swear words. I received emails with GIFs showing a man sweating and biting his nails. I received phone calls from business owners that can't believe they're expected to continue serving Medicare beneficiaries when their payments have been essentially...

WASHINGTON - Congress has failed to pass a bill that would delay a second round of Medicare reimbursement cuts for three months, until Sept. 30.In the days before a long recess that kicked off July 15, the Senate had begun a “hotline process” to pass an amended version of H.R. 5210, which had already been passed by the House of Representatives earlier in the month.As part of the process, the bill was introduced and distributed to all 100 offices of the Senate. If there were no objections...

WASHINGTON - A bill passed in the House of Representatives last week that would delay a second round of Medicare reimbursement cuts is going through a “hotline” process in the Senate, AAHomecare announced yesterday at 5:30 p.m.As part of this process, the bill has been introduced and has been distributed to all 100 offices in the Senate. If there is no objection to the bill within 24 hours, it will be considered passed with no objections, the association says.“With Congress set...

WASHINGTON - Now that both the House of Representatives and the Senate have passed bills to delay a second round of Medicare reimbursement cuts, lawmakers have to hammer out the details—and fast.The House yesterday passed a version of the bill that would delay the cuts that went into effect July 1 in non-bid areas for three months until Oct. 1. The Senate on June 24 passed a version of the bill that would delay the cuts for one year until July 1, 2017.“Now the House and the Senate need...

WASHINGTON - The House of Representatives plans to vote on a bill this afternoon that would hit pause on a second round of Medicare reimbursement cuts that went into effect in non-bid areas on July 1.Lawmakers have placed the bill, H.R. 5210, on the suspension calendar for a vote at 2 p.m. EST, according to The VGM Group. Once the bill is passed in the House, it will move to the Senate for approval, VGM says.The bill, known as the Patient Access to Durable Medical Equipment Act of 2016 or PADME,...

WASHINGTON - A second round of Medicare reimbursement cuts goes into effect in non-bid areas on July 1, but it's not time to throw in the towel, AAHomecare said in a bulletin on June 29.“There's nothing like a crisis to help spur legislators to action,” the association stated. “We need to make sure that we let the House of Representatives and the Senate know that these cuts are taking rural providers and patients to the precipice of disaster.”The Senate passed a bill that...

WASHINGTON - CMS late this afternoon released new pricing for non-competitive bidding areas as of July 1, and in one fell swoop handed down cuts of anywhere from 10% for insulin pumps to 80% for TENS units compared to pricing in 2015.Among 15 products highlighted in a CMS fact sheet, 11 show cuts of 50% or more, AAHomecare pointed out in a bulletin.“It's clear that these are cuts that will be devastating for providers and patients alike in these areas, and ultimately unsustainable for a healthcare...

WASHINGTON - The Senate has passed a bill that would delay a second round of Medicare reimbursement cuts, according to the Council for Quality Respiratory Care.Medicare plans to implement a second round of cuts in non-bid areas on July 1, following a first round of cuts that went into effect in those areas on Jan. 1. Together, they will reduce reimbursement, on average, 50%.“We applaud the Senate for recognizing the urgency in passing this legislation before July 1, which will help to ensure...

WASHINGTON - Longtime HME champion Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., will introduce a bill in early May to delay a second round of Medicare reimbursement cuts in rural areas, according to The VGM Group.The “Patient Access to Durable Medical Equipment Act of 2016” will join a bill already introduced in the Senate that also seeks to push back the date of the cuts, which will usher in reimbursement based 100% on the competitive bidding program, from July 1, 2016, to Oct. 1, 2017.Unlike S. 2736, however,...