HOPP Companion Bill Introduced in Senate

WASHINGTON–On May 24, Sens. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., and Jack Reed,
D-R.I., introduced a bill that would restore the Medicare policy
for oxygen therapy that was in effect before the Deficit Reduction
Act’s sweeping changes.

Officially known as S. 1484, the bill would essentially repeal
the DRA’s 36-month oxygen rental cap and return equipment ownership
to the provider, also eliminating the law’s mandate for a title
transfer to the beneficiary after the cap.

The proposed measure is an identical companion to the Home
Oxygen Patient Protection Act (H.R. 621), introduced in the House
in January (see HomeCare Monday, Jan. 29). So far, the
House bill has picked up 83 cosponsors.

According to the American Association for Homecare, the two
bills “reflect growing support for a return to the patient-centered
oxygen policy before the DRA, and also signals Congress that
further erosion of oxygen therapy reimbursement is
unacceptable.”

Original cosponsors of S. 1484 include Sens. Ken Salazar,
D-Colo., and George Voinovich, R-Ohio. The bill has been referred
to the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over issues
related to home care.

The timing of the bill is critical, according to AAHomecare,
because oxygen therapy is a current budget-cutting topic for
Congress. During its annual Legislative Conference in Washington
this week, association members and industry advocates plan to lobby
federal legislators to sign on to the oxygen legislation, along
with competitive bidding bills H.R. 1845 and S. 1428, which would
soften some effects of bidding project. (See HomeCare Monday, May 22.)

AAHomecare is urging stakeholders to contact members of the
House and Senate to express support for the bills.

To view the text of S. 1484, visit http://thomas.loc.gov.

For talking points about the oxygen and competitive bidding
bills, visit www.aahomecare.org.

To get contact information for members of Congress, visit
www.house.gov or www.senate.gov.