Bill introduced to pause competitive bidding for ostomy, urology supplies
By HME News Staff
Updated 10:33 AM CDT, Fri October 9, 2026
WASHINGTON – Reps. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., and Brad Schneider, D-Ill., have introduced a bill that would exempt ostomy and urological supplies from Medicare’s DMEPOS competitive bidding program for five years.
According to AAHomecare, the Access to Medical Supplies Act would give the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), with input from industry stakeholders, the time to fully analyze the impact of the program on patients.
The bill would:
- Create a technical expert panel to study the impact of adding these supplies to the program
- Require a demonstration project to test the impact of the program before CMS moves forward.
“Before CMS enacts a program that reshapes how patients receive highly personalized medical supplies, it should understand exactly what is at stake," said Tom Ryan, president and CEO of AAHomecare. "Reps. Murphy and Schneider's bipartisan bill allows CMS to study the impact, test it, and hear from patients and providers before making changes that could disrupt access. We urge every member of Congress to support."
AAHomecare has met with CMS and White House officials to warn that including ostomy and urological supplies as national Remote Item Delivery (RID) items in Round 2028 could harm patient access to medically necessary supplies. A recent survey from the association showed the program could lead to heavy layoffs and business closures.
CMS recently adjusted start of registration and bidding for Round 2028 to give providers additional time to prepare. The agency still plans to implement new contracts and single payment amounts on Jan. 1, 2028.
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