Ask Your Representative and Senators to Include MPP in Legislation

As last week wound down, Congress averted another threatened government shutdown, passing an appropriations bill funding federal operations through September 2012.

Meanwhile, Senate leadership worked on a separate agreement to extend the payroll tax holiday, extend unemployment insurance protections and prevent a 27 percent cut in Medicare physician reimbursement (the “doc fix”). Earlier in the week, the House passed a payroll tax/UI/doc fix bill by a vote of 234-193. As we reported to AAHomecare members on Saturday, the Senate voted 89-10 to approve their own short-term package that would extend a payroll tax holiday and prevent for two months a reimbursement reduction for Medicare physicians. We have learned from Capitol Hill sources that House Republican leadership will reject the Senate legislation, and additional negotiations will be required to reach an agreement acceptable to both the House and Senate.

In any event, it remains vital that HME providers contact their Representative and Senators and strongly urge them to contact their respective leadership to ask that the MPP proposal be included in the final doc fix bill that is sent to the President.

Use our Take Action Center to quickly send a message to your members of Congress.

A full, section-by-section breakdown of the Market Pricing Program is available to our members (login required). A brief summary of the MPP is available to everyone.

You can reach your Representative and Senators’ office by calling the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121. If you have any questions or feedback from House staff, please contact Jay Witter at jayw@aahomecare.org.