Our Fight for HME in Washington Takes Many Shapes

A strong voice in Washington is necessary to combat the continued regulatory and legislative battles for homecare – as well as new issues which crop up like the changes from CMS to the 2017 fee schedule for stationary oxygen. AAHomecare is your champion in the halls of Congress and the offices at CMS. We are leading the charge on policy and advocacy in a variety of ways, and one of those is through the use of strong media placements. In 2016, more than seven million people were reached with the positive message of homecare and the detrimental effects of the bidding program.

While the association will do everything in our power to be a strong voice on these issues, having the opportunity to continue working with the media to share provider’s stories helps support the work of industry lobbyist and builds on the education we are providing lawmakers.

These are just a few examples from October alone, of providers and professional healthcare reporters who understand this issue and are reaching out to lawmakers through the power of print:

• 10/3- Real Clear Health: Competitive Bidding Is Killing Medicare Beneficiaries by Chris Parkin  

• 10/5- The Hill: Congress must roll back cuts in reimbursement rates to medical equipment providers by Kelly Buckland 

• 10/17- Inside Sources Posted to Politics: As Homecare Industry Confronts Medicare Cuts, Upton May Be Roadblock to Fix by Shawn McCoy 

• 10/19- Valdosta Daily Times: Medicare reimbursement cuts affect business by Ed Cockman

• 11/15- Washington Examiner: How long will Congress wait to help Medicare seniors? By Tom Ryan 

In addition, our media outreach efforts led to positive editorials in the Las Vegas Review-Journal and the Janesville Gazette (Wisc.), Speaker Paul Ryan’s hometown paper.

One of the ways we support the media efforts is through our Stand Up for Homecare campaign. As Jeffrey Hall, President and CEO of Reliable Medical Supply explains, “If you’re headed to Medtrade then you should be attending the American Association for Homecare event “Stand up for Homecare.” When you purchase your tickets to this great event you are not only buying an opportunity to meet knowledgeable industry leaders, you’re supporting the AAH continued efforts to fight our battles in Washington. Our organization looks forward to this event every Medtrade.”

Won’t you join Reliable Medical Supply and other leaders at this event and support the continued efforts to fight our battles in Washington? These stories in local and national news are making a difference in our fight for fair reimbursement and against regulatory overreach. Learn more about the Stand Up for Homecare campaign and how AAHomecare fights for you.

To share your story and help AAHomecare explain the effects of regulatory overreach and competitive bidding on HME providers and patients, please contact Tilly Gambill at tillyg@aahomecare.org or fill out the online form. Please be assured that all requests for confidentiality will be maintained, and that we will seek prior approval for using any material in media outreach or editorials.