Reps urge CMS to drop certain supplies from next round of bidding 

WASHINGTON – Reps. Neal Dunn, R-Fla., and Greg Murphy, R-N.C., are leading a sign-on letter urging the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) not to move forward with expanding the competitive bidding program to include ostomy, urological and tracheostomy supplies. They seek signatures by close of business this Friday, Oct. 3. 

“We respectfully request that the proposal for inclusion of these products be withdrawn as we believe it would conflict with the administration's goals to strengthen American manufacturing, secure our medical supply chains from foreign adversaries, and protect the health and well-being of our nation's most vulnerable citizens,” the letter states. 

Dunn and Murphy make the case that bidding these supplies sends the wrong message to U.S. manufacturers that employee engineers, researchers and product developers, and U.S. suppliers that employ thousands of workers, contributing to local economies in rural and other communities across the nation. 

“Competitive bidding threatens to destroy many of these businesses overnight, transferring this market to foreign competitors who have no commitment to American workers, American communities or American patients,” the letter states. 

Dunn and Murphy also make the case that: 

• “Ostomy, urological, and tracheostomy supplies represent a relatively small portion of overall Medicare spending, and these products, despite their significance for patients, are low cost. Any savings that might possibly be achieved through competitive bidding will be more than offset by the increased costs associated with managing health care complications, serious kidney and skin infections, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations.” 
• “Our offices have received numerous communications from constituents, including seniors. These individuals, and the doctors and nurses who care for them, understand better than anyone that ostomy, urological, and tracheostomy supplies are not commodity items that should be subjected to a ‘lowest bidder’ procurement model. They are highly individualized prosthetics.” 

Dunn and Murphy urge the administration to, instead, focus on targeted enforcement measures to address any fraud related to supplies. 

• Related: CMS signals potential big changes to bid program