AAHomecare is spearheading “Meek Week,” a grassroots campaign this week to increase cosponsors for Rep. Kendrick Meek’s bill, H.R. 3790, which would eliminate the Medicare “competitive” bidding program for home medical equipment. This is a critical time to meet with your members of Congress while they are in their home districts and ask them to support the Meek bill.
Officially, H.R. 3790 has 118 cosponsors so far – an impressive number, but far short of the number of supporters to make the impact we need to get this bill enacted into law.
The bidding program is misguided and will actually reduce competition in the home medical equipment sector, reduce choices available to seniors, and increase health care costs. By drastically cutting both reimbursement rates and number of HMEs allowed to participate in Medicare, the bidding program will cripple the nation’s homecare sector – the most affordable form of health care available.
Homecare is the most cost-effective form of care for both current Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries and future beneficiaries, including the 78 million baby boomers who will prefer to stay at home with their loved ones.
You can find the phone number and location of every legislator’s district offices in the “Contact Me” section of each Member’s website at www.house.gov.
While there is no Senate companion bill to the Meek legislation, HME stakeholders should also contact their Senators’ district offices to briefly explain the importance of homecare in your state and emphasize that no further cuts should be made to durable medical equipment reimbursement rates.
Visit www.aahomecare.org for more information.
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