Tag: Bidding

WASHINGTON - Reps. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., and Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, are spearheading a congressional sign-on letter urging CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner not to expand competitive bidding until the Office of Inspector General (OIG) has completed its investigation into the program, according to AAHomecare. “It's no secret that policymakers on both sides of the aisle see the controversial national bidding program as an unacceptable burden on the elderly and disabled,” stated Tom Ryan,...

I talked to a wheelchair provider in Texas last week who told me they have to participate in some kind of bidding system to provide wheelchairs to Medicaid recipients in a certain part of the state. The system works like this: When Evercare, the HMO that administers the Medicaid program for the Houston area, receives a bid from a provider, it turns around and solicits a second bid from another provider. Nine times out of 10, whichever provider has the lowest bid wins the patient. Here's an example...