Tag: H.R. 6641

WASHINGTON – With Congress required to pass legislation to extend the federal debt ceiling by Dec. 16 to avoid a government shutdown, industry stakeholders are urging providers to use the next few weeks to push for including competitive bidding relief.  AAHomecare says providers who haven’t done so should contact lawmakers and ask them to support H.R. 6441, which would extend a 90/10 blended reimbursement rate that’s currently in place for competitive bidding items in competitive...

WASHINGTON – Stakeholders are urging the HME industry to press lawmakers to include reimbursement relief in any end-of-year legislation.  With the mid-term elections over, Congress is turning its attention to a year-end omnibus bill that will include language to extend the debt ceiling and keep the government funded.  As leadership on key committees of jurisdictions negotiate on what measures to include in the bill, it is critical that the HME industry make its collective voice...

WASHINGTON – VGM Government Relations is urging providers to reach out to Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, asking for the DMEPOS Relief Act of 2022 to be included in an end-of-year package.   Introduced in February, H.R. 6641 would extend a 90/10 blended reimbursement rate for the 13 product categories excluded from Round 2021 of competitive bidding through Dec. 31, 2023. The bill currently has 25 co-sponsors.  “HME suppliers...

WASHINGTON – A continuing resolution to fund the government is expected to pass without any of the industry’s legislative initiatives, but stakeholders are looking ahead to the end of the year, with a boost from the Sept. 21 AAHomecare Virtual Washington Legislative Conference.  Those initiatives include H.R. 6641, a bill that would implement a blended reimbursement rate based 90% on bid pricing and 10% on the 2015 fee schedule and would extend a 75/25 blended rate for non-bid,...

Three hundred and twenty-nine years. That’s how long it took for Elizabeth Johnson Jr.’s name to be cleared after being convicted of witchcraft in Salem, Mass., in 1693.  According to the Boston Globe, state lawmakers agreed to reconsider her case – she was the last accused witch to be cleared – at the behest of an eighth-grade civics class. There followed a bill, an attachment vehicle in the form of a budget bill and, finally, approval.  Sound familiar? That’s...

WASHINGTON – With CMS staying mum on a possible next round of the competitive bidding program, stakeholders want to know, “What’s the plan?”  “Nobody knows what CMS is doing or what their game plan is, as far as the next round of bidding,” said John Gallagher, vice president of government relations for VGM. “It’s supposedly out there for December, but nobody knows if that is only for braces or what it is they will push and, in the meantime,...

WASHINGTON – With support for HME legislation slow-going, industry stakeholders are using the Grassroots Accountability Project (GAP) to take away the “fear factor” around advocacy.  GAP, a joint effort between AAHomecare, VGM and state associations, recently launched a short video to walk through the advocacy process for securing co-sponsors for H.R. 6641.   “We want to break down those barriers that might keep people from taking that next step of advocacy,”...

WASHINGTON – AAHomecare had several meetings lined up with lawmakers on Capitol Hill the week of May 9 as it worked to grow support for reimbursement relief.  “We’re primarily working the House side on H.R. 6641 and the committees of jurisdiction – Energy & Commerce and Ways & Means,” said Tom Ryan, president and CEO. “Unfortunately, it’s all Republicans, because they are the only ones doing face-to-face meetings.”  Introduced Feb. 8...

WASHINGTON – Lawmakers need to hear from HME providers if the industry has any hope of getting reimbursement relief, says AAHomecare, which last week issued a call to action to drum up support for recently introduced legislation.  H.R. 6641 left the gate Feb. 8 with six original co-sponsors and currently stands at 10.  “We are in full grassroots mode,” said Tom Ryan, president and CEO. “We have been working the Hill and staff said they understand the issue...

WASHINGTON – Members of the House of Representatives need to hear about the HME industry’s support for H.R. 6641, a bill that would implement a 90/10 blended reimbursement rate for Medicare in competitive bidding areas, AAHomecare says.  “AAHomecare has been in contact with multiple congressional offices since H.R. 6641 was introduced on Feb. 8,” the association stated in a bulletin. “While legislators and staff are familiar with the challenges the HME community...