Movement grows to shield critical medical supplies from Medicare competitive bidding ‘The bid program, on this particular point, is so counterintuitive that it's just beyond belief,’ says AAHomecare’s Tom Ryan
By Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
Updated 9:23 AM CDT, Fri October 3, 2025
WASHINGTON – Efforts to exclude medical supplies from the next round of Medicare competitive bidding are gaining steam as lawmakers and patient advocacy groups join industry stakeholders in pulling at some of the many weak threads of the program.
Overreach of the statute language?
When the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) first released details on the latest round of the program on June 30, the agency specified that ostomy, tracheostomy and urological supplies are medical equipment items mandated for inclusion. That caught stakeholders off-guard because it overlooks the original statute governing the program, they say.
“We’ve argued the statute language, and we’ve been to the Office of the General Counsel, and they are digging in with their reasoning to believe they didn’t violate the statute,” said Tom Ryan, president and CEO of AAHomecare. “So, we checked that box and now we’re looking at this from another angle, but I do think they are out over their skis on the statute, for sure.”
Conflict with president’s agenda
A sign-on letter with an Oct. 3 deadline spearheaded by Reps. Neal Dunn, R-Fla., and Greg Murphy, R-N.C., both urologists, urges CMS not to move forward with expanding the program to include ostomy, urological and tracheostomy supplies. They say the expansion threatens American manufacturing, weakens medical supply chains, and risks access for vulnerable patients.
In his second term, President Trump has pursued a "Made in America" manufacturing initiative characterized by tax incentives for companies that produce goods in the U.S. and aggressive tariffs for those that do not.
“(To include these) product categories in competitive bidding is really counter to what the Trump administration’s U.S. manufacturing initiative is,” said Ryan. “You’re pushing everybody toward more Chinese offshore product categories by going to price point only and taking away the quality. The bid program, on this particular point, is so counterintuitive that it's just beyond belief.”
Advocacy groups mobilize
Patient advocacy groups, including United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA), were helping to gather signatures for the sign-on letter. Stakeholders are also strengthening partnerships with other advocacy groups, like the Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition.
“There’s lots of very significant user advocates out there pounding the drum and sounding the alarm,” says Ike Isaacson, senior vice president of government and regulatory relations for VGM. “There’s a reason why these products were excluded in previous rounds. If we cut home-based services, patients are going to be seen at a higher level of care. To save pennies and turn around and spend multitudes of dollars is bad policy and irresponsible.”
Will comments sway CMS?
Comments on the proposed rule, which closed Aug. 29, numbered in the tens of thousands from advocates and patients, as well as industry stakeholders. A final rule is expected Oct. 31.
“There’s patients who rely on these very specific products, so we’ll be curious to see if the consumer groups sway CMS at all,” said Kim Brummett, senior vice president of regulatory affairs for AAHomecare. “Ultimately, we’ve got to do everything we can to keep those items out of the bidding process.”
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