Tag: Baucus

A few folks that I talked to today were all abuzz about an announcement made by Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., that he will retire in 2014. This is big news, obviously, with Baucus the chairman of the influential Senate Finance Committee, which, among other things, oversees Medicare and Medicaid. He's also the sixth Democrat to announce his retirement, giving momentum to Republicans trying to retake control of the Senate. But in our small universe called the HME industry, what does this mean? Is Baucus...

The Senate joined the House yesterday when it voted to give community pharmacies until Dec. 31 to get accredited “The Senate acted wisely to ensure seniors can continue purchasing essential medical supplies from their community pharmacies,” said Bruce T. Roberts, NCPA executive vice president and CEO in a release. “Senators Max Baucus, Charles Grassley and Jon Tester, in particular, deserve recognition for shepherding the bill through. Without it, thousands of independent community...

I was talking to the folks over at the National Home Infusion Association yesterday. Sen. Max Baucus' admission that Congress needs to do something about the lack of Medicare coverage for home infusion is a "step forward," said executive director Russ Bodoff. "It's always nice when the chairman of the finance committee recognizes the need for the fix," he added. The next step is getting a revised CBO score that demonstrates the true costs of home infusion therapy, as well as the savings it offers...

My editor occasionally groans when she sees I am doing an update on the home infusion industry's efforts to get Medicare coverage for their equipment and services. She supports the legislation, don't get me wrong. But, it's been a long battle and I am sure that she sometimes feels like she's rereading the same story. But, the HME industry at-large could take a page from the National Home Infusion Association's government playbook. The Medicare Home Infusion Coverage act has stayed consistent and...