Industry Gets Busy As Election Heats Up

ATLANTA

With just days to go until the nation’s general election Nov. 4, HME industry leaders are encouraging providers to seize the opportunity and work up until the last minute to make sure federal legislators hear about the positive aspects of home care.

Many providers, manufacturers and other stakeholders prepared to do just that as they announced a flurry of political activity over the past month.

The political activism, propelled in part by the momentum gained when the industry won a delay in competitive bidding, drew kudos from those representing HME who meet regularly with the nation’s lawmakers.

“It’s a hugely positive phenomenon,” said Cara Bachenheimer, senior vice president of government relations for Invacare, Elyria, Ohio. “We can’t control our destiny, but we can influence our destiny by building those relationships … I say let’s do more.”

“We’re seeing a very excellent groundswell,” said John Gallagher, vice president of government relations for VGM, Waterloo, Iowa, citing in particular the New England Medical Equipment Dealers Association, which formed its own political action committee in order to support select members of Congress.

In late September, Mal Mixon, chairman and CEO of Invacare, met with former Sen. Tom Daschle, top advisor on health care for Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.

“It was very encouraging, because there is clearly an appreciation for what home care can bring to the table — besides just cost, there is also quality,” Bachenheimer said, noting that Daschle was “very emphatic” about Obama’s support of home health care.

The focus of the hour-long meeting was “relationship-building for whoever ends up in the White House,” Bachenheimer said, noting that Mixon stressed “the willingness of the industry to work with them” should there be a new Democratic administration.

Mixon was also scheduled to meet with Republican candidate Sen. John McCain’s running mate Gov. Sarah Palin, and planned to converse with her “in a fair amount of detail” on the industry’s issues, Bachenheimer said.

“The short-term objective is to get each candidate to recognize the merits of home health care, and the longer-term objective is that whoever wins the election will be more receptive to incorporating home health care in a much larger way in whatever direction things go as far as health care reform as well as Medicare reform,” Bachenheimer said.

Other current industry political activities include:

• Accredited Medical Equipment Providers of America — “Change the Face of HME,” a drive to create demonstration tools showing the positive face of home medical equipment companies to present to legislators. For more information: [email protected].
• American Association for Homecare — The third “Stand Up for Homecare” reception and fundraiser from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, at the Omni Hotel in Atlanta during Medtrade. The event will raise funds for an HME public awareness campaign. Even with the 18-month delay of competitive bidding, the industry faces tough public relations challenges, and “home care” must be more firmly planted in the minds of the American public and a top priority of those in Congress, the association said. AAHomecare officials said beginning later this year, the association will retain a public relations agency to conduct a broad, aggressive public awareness campaign promoting the mission of the home care industry and weaving the value of home care into the national health care debate. One goal is to make sure the HME profession is recognized for leading the fight to prevent fraud and abuse in Medicare. Information about the fundraiser event: Kim Kianka, [email protected]. Information about the Stand Up for Homecare campaign: Michael Reinemer, [email protected].
• Georgia Association of Medical Equipment Services — Luncheon fundraiser for Rep. Tom Price, MD, R-Ga., at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, during Medtrade in Atlanta. In 2006 and 2007, Price introduced the Home Oxygen Patient Protection Act to repeal the Deficit Reduction Act’s rental cap on Medicare home oxygen and restore ownership of equipment to providers. For more information: GAMES, www.gameshme.org.
• National Association of Independent Medical Equipment Suppliers — “Warriors for DME,” a letter-writing campaign to alert legislators to the “perils facing oxygen patients in disaster situations and how the oxygen cap beginning Jan. 1, 2009, will affect future service to such patients.” The campaign is a companion to the organization’s “Win at Home 2008” initiative, a program to help providers get involved in politics. With 45 open seats in the House and five in the Senate, providers have the opportunity to develop relationships and educate candidates before they get to Washington to build wider support for the industry, according to the association. While incumbent members of Congress currently have a better understanding of the DME industry than several years ago, “without reinforcement this will get lost in the heat of the election,” NAIMES said. For more information: NAIMES, www.dmehelp.org.
• VGM Group — Campaign to support provider Monty Lankford, Republican candidate for the Fourth Congressional District in Tennessee, who owns TLC Medical Oxygen and Hospital Equipment in Franklin, Tenn. For more information: VGM Group, www.vgm.com.