Tag: Gas prices
High gas prices squeeze HME providers, but most aren’t adjusting operations – yet
May 29, 2026Liz Beaulieu, Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine – Nearly 80% of respondents to a recent HME Newspoll say high gas prices are having a moderate to significant negative impact on their businesses, putting further pressure on already thin margins.
While prices vary by geography, the national average was $4.42 per gallon at press time, compared to $3.16 a year ago – an increase of nearly 40%, according to AAA.
“Our profit margins were already slim before, so higher fuel costs have further reduced margins, increased...
It's the small things: Providers see savings at the pump
January 23, 2015Tracy Orzel
YARMOUTH, Maine - With gas prices dipping below $2.00 in some parts of the country, HME providers say they're grateful for the extra cash.“At $2.25 a gallon, I wish I could dig a hole and put a tank in,” says John Letizia, president of Ebensburg, Penn.-based Laurel Medical Solutions.Because the vast majority of providers don't charge patients a delivery fee, they absorb the blow when gas prices are high and enjoy a small windfall when they're low.With 16 vehicles to gas up, Letizia, who...