Stakeholders Push Lawmakers to Exclude High-End Rehab from Competitive Bidding

Washington

Both industry and consumer advocacy groups continue to push for a legislative solution that would carve out high-end rehab from DME competitive bidding.

Letters advocating the exemption have been sent to two powerful lawmakers: Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, which oversees Medicare and Medicaid; and Rep. Bill Thomas, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and a chief architect of the Medicare Modernization Act.

The letters were signed by the National Coalition for Assistive and Rehab Technology, the National Registry of Rehabilitation Technology Suppliers, the Rehabilitation Engineering Society of North America and a number of consumer groups — from the American Association of People with Disabilities to the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation.

“This is an issue that’s much broader than just a DME provider issue,” said NCART Executive Director Sharon Hildebrandt. “We wanted to show [lawmakers] that this issue will affect people with disabilities,” not just providers.

Competitive bidding of high-end rehab “will have a serious negative impact on clinical outcomes associated with providing this technology,” the letter states, adding that the bidding process will not allow products to “be fit uniquely to the needs of the individual Medicare beneficiary.”

A similar letter, but with “more of a disability focus,” also was sent to HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt.

Hildebrandt added that NCART has found support for possible legislation for the rehab carve-out, but has yet to find a larger legislative package to attach it to — giving it a better chance of passage.

Competitive bidding for DME will begin in 10 metropolitan statistical areas in 2007 and expand to 80 MSAs in 2009, after which the government has the authority to implement competitive bidding nationwide.