AAH on final plans for CBP: ‘This is not reform, it’s regression’ 

ARLINGTON, Va. - AAHomecare says a DMEPOS/Home Health Final Rule released late Friday that finalizes plans for the next round of the competitive bidding program (CBP) is a direct threat to patients and home medical equipment (HME) providers. 

“By reviving the competitive bidding program without important guardrails established under the previous Trump Administration and expanding the program to include diabetes equipment, as well as ostomy, urological, and tracheostomy supplies, CMS is setting the stage for more stress on the home medical equipment sector,” said Tom Ryan, president and CEO. “Smaller, community-based suppliers will be hit particularly hard, and many patients and family caregivers will lose access to highly experienced and trusted partners who have been providing their care. 

“A new bidding round without a fair bid-setting mechanism is sure to produce rates that force suppliers to use cheaper, lower-quality products and leave patients with fewer choices,” he continued. “The end result will be higher costs to the Medicare program thanks to increased ER visits and hospitalizations, and more strain on caregivers. This is not reform, it’s regression.” 

AAHomecare highlighted as significant changes to CBP in the rule: 

• Calculating the winning bid from the clearing price to 75th percentile of winning bids.  
• Requiring significantly less financial documentation in the bid submission process. 
• Adding CGM and reintroducing insulin pumps to CBP.  
• Adding urological, ostomy and tracheostomy supplies to CBP. 
• Changing the payment category for Class II CGMs and insulin pumps to Frequent and Substantial Servicing (FSS) for CBAs and non-CBAs. 
• Requiring DMEPOS providers to be surveyed and reaccredited at least once every 12 months. 

According to a fact sheet that accompanied the rule, CMS plans the next round of CBP to go live no later than January 2028. 

AAHomecare says it will continue to engage the Trump administration, CMS and members of Congress to delay implementation of the HME-related provisions in the rule and press for a patient-centered, fraud-resistant alternative that protects access, preserves small businesses and strengthens home care. 

“We need every HME stakeholder locked in to support this effort – your voice, your outreach, your advocacy will make a difference,” Ryan said. 

• For more on CMS’s plans, go here for a fact sheet.  
• Here is a link to the final rule.