Skip to Content

Tag: Legislation


News

Uncertainty surrounds reimbursement relief 

March 19, 2024HME News Staff

WASHINGTON – Industry stakeholders are on the hunt for another vehicle for their legislation to extend the 75/25 blended Medicare reimbursement rate in non-rural areas through 2024.  AAHomecare reports that its lobbyists and HME advocates on the Hill have indicated that reimbursement relief will not be included in a second segment of appropriations language that must pass Congress by March 22 to prevent another government shutdown.  “We will continue to look for other...

Legislation, Medicare, reimbursement relief


Read Full Articlered right arrow icon

News

Oxygen reform bill introduced in Senate 

March 1, 2024HME News Staff

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Bill Cassidy, MD., R-La., Mark Warner, D-Va., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., have introduced legislation to ease access to supplemental oxygen for Medicare beneficiaries by, among other things, permanently extending blended payment rates.  The Supplemental Oxygen Access Reform (SOAR) Act of 2024 would establish a new payment methodology for non-liquid oxygen, allowing for most Medicare beneficiaries to be covered under the base payment levels.  “Patients...

Home Oxygen Therapy, Legislation


Read Full Articlered right arrow icon

Also Noted

Bill strengthens access to titanium wheelchairs 

September 11, 2023HME News Staff

WASHINGTON – Rep. John Joyce, R-Pa., has introduced legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives that would allow for code upgrades for titanium and carbon fiber wheelchairs under Medicare. “Stronger patient access to lightweight carbon fiber and titanium wheelchairs will allow more individuals with mobility challenges to function independently and take part in their communities,” said Tom Ryan, AAHomecare president and CEO. “Working to build support for this measure has...

AAHomecare, Carbon, Legislation, titanium, Wheelchair


Read Full Articlered right arrow icon

Specialty Providers

Lawmakers seek to address fraud in O&P 

June 27, 2023HME News Staff

WASHINGTON – A bi-partisan group in the House of Representatives has introduced a bill that would prohibit “drop shipping” of custom orthoses and protheses to Medicare beneficiaries.  H.R. 4315, the Medicare Orthotics and Prosthetics Patient-Centered Care Act, would also:  Ensure Medicare beneficiaries can access the full range of orthotic care from one O&P practitioner, rather than requiring them to visit multiple providers when the treating orthotist or...

Drop Shipping, Legislation, Orthotics, Prosthetics


Read Full Articlered right arrow icon

Specialty Providers

Home infusion stakeholders now have bills in House, Senate

August 25, 2021HME News Staff

WASHINGTON – A bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives to improve access to home infusion therapy for Medicare beneficiaries.  Introduced by Reps. Terri Sewell, D-Ala., Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., Fred Upton, R-Mich., and Vern Buchannan, R-Fla., H.R. 5067, the Preserving Patient Access to Home Infusion Act provides technical clarifications that would remove the physical presence requirement, ensuring payment regardless of whether a health care professional is present in...

Home Infusion Therapy, Legislation, National Home Infusion Association (NHIA), Physical presence requirement


Read Full Articlered right arrow icon

California moves to protect complex rehab

Mobility

California moves to protect complex rehab

July 19, 2021HME News Staff

EAST AMHERST, N.Y. – The California State Legislature on July 15 passed Assembly Bill 133, which includes language to improve and protect access to complex rehab technology for people with disabilities, according to NCART.  The bill will permanently exempt CRT from a long-standing Medi-Cal provider cut of 10% and will strengthen policies regarding the evaluation and delivery of complex rehab.  “We are extremely thankful to the California Legislature for passing this important...

Complex Rehab, Legislation, NCART


Read Full Articlered right arrow icon

News

House passes bill to delay sequestration cuts

March 22, 2021HME News Staff

WASHINGTON – The House of Representatives on Friday passed a bill that would extend the moratorium on the 2% Medicare sequestration cuts from March 31, 2021, to Dec. 31, 2021.  H.R. 1868, which passed 246-175, would also exempt the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan from the statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, eliminating an additional 4% Medicare cut that would amount to about $36 billion in 2022.  On March 15, Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine,...

CMS, Legislation, Medicare


Read Full Articlered right arrow icon

Also Noted

NCART makes case for telehealth

January 12, 2021HME News Staff

EAST AMHERST, N.Y. – NCART and the CRT Remote Services Consortium on Jan. 4 submitted comments to the Telehealth Workgroups of the Senate and U.S. House of Representatives making the case for a permanent telehealth option for people with disabilities who require complex rehab technology. The comments are another step toward getting Congress to include in legislation the ability for CMS to “make permanent” the temporary COVID-19 policies that designate physical therapists and...

Complex Rehab, Legislation, NCART, Telehealth


Read Full Articlered right arrow icon

News

Clock ticks on bid relief

January 3, 2020Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor

WASHINGTON - As the second session of Congress gets underway this week, stakeholders say it's time to amplify their efforts seeking relief from Medicare's competitive bidding program. With temporary relief in non-bid areas set to expire at the end of this year, the clock is ticking, says AAHomecare's President and CEO Tom Ryan. “This is the second Congress where we've had the bill to get that support,” he said. “That relief is likely to go away if we don't...

AAHomecare, Competitive Bidding, Home Medical Equipment (HME), Legislation


Read Full Articlered right arrow icon

Mobility

Relief on the way for complex rehab providers

December 20, 2019Liz Beaulieu, Editor

WASHINGTON - In a hard-fought win, industry stakeholders have succeeded in getting Congress to suspend competitive bidding pricing for accessories for complex manual wheelchairs.Both the House of Representatives and the Senate last week passed H.R. 1865, a year-end spending bill that includes language requiring CMS to stop applying bid pricing to these accessories for 18 months starting Jan. 1, 2020.“This really has been a four-year battle that involved getting resolutions for complex power...

Accessories, Complex Rehab, Legislation, Manual Wheelchair, Reimbursement


Read Full Articlered right arrow icon