Bid News Blog

Editor’s Note:  Every independent expert who has examined Medicare’s “competitive bidding” program for home medical equipment has determined that it will fail.  Hundreds of economists, including Nobel laureates, and researchers working under a National Science Foundation grant and the Congressional Budget Office have all reached a similar conclusion.  HHS/CMS has been deaf to the science community and pursued their own deeply flawed plan.  Now the human toll is starting to be felt.  The article below explains why Congress must pass H.R. 6490 – The Medicare DMEPOS Market Pricing Program Act of 2012.

From: CBS/Miami

From: HME News

by: Theresa Flaherty

WASHINGTON – The week before Christmas, HME industry stakeholders wrapped up seven more co-sponsors for H.R. 6490, bringing the total to 87.

“This demonstrates significant strength for this bill,” said Walt Gorski, vice president of government affairs for AAHomecare. “It’s not easy to get 80 or 90 co-sponsors on anything. Everyone is working hard to move the bill in any legislative vehicle this year.”

As the long holiday weekend advanced, it was looking like the industry might get a little extra time to do just that. The latest attempt by lawmakers to avert a looming fiscal crisis failed Dec. 20, leaving open the possibility that a solution could be pushed into the new year.

From: HME News

WASHINGTON – H.R. 6490, a bill to replace the competitive bidding program with a market-pricing program (MPP), now has 80 co-sponsors.

The Library of Congress/Thomas updated the official tally of co-sponsors for the bill today, Dec. 12. The new co-sponsors are:

Reps. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla.;

Tom Graves, R-Ga.;

Chellie Pingree, D-Maine;

Niki Tsongas, D-Mass.;

Mike Rogers, R-Mich.;

Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo.;

Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y.;

Robert Turner, R-N.Y.;

Todd Platts, R-Pa.;

Bill Shuster, R-Pa.; and

Shelley Moore Capito, R-W. Va.

From: HME News

by: Theresa Flaherty

WASHINGTON – HME providers lit up the Capitol Hill switchboard Dec. 4 and 5 with one message: Support the market-pricing program (MPP).

The VGM Group and NAIMES, which spearheaded the efforts, estimate that 1,177 and 200 calls were made, respectively. The state with the most calls was Connecticut (132). Staffers for Rep. Christopher Murphy, D-Conn., told NEMED officials that he would take a closer look at H.R. 6490, a bill to replace the current competitive bidding program with MPP, as a result of the calls.

From: HME News

by: Liz Beaulieu

WASHINGTON – It appears CMS still has a ways to go before releasing the single payment amounts for Round 2 of competitive bidding.

The agency on Nov. 29 sent certain providers who submitted bids an email alerting them to expect an “urgent notification” that requires their “immediate attention and action,” but it wasn’t a contract offer.

“They are bona fide letters,” said Chris Rice, CEO of Diamond Respiratory Care in Riverside, Calif., who received a letter.