Rep. Thomas Announces Retirement

BAKERSFIELD, Calif.–Rep. Bill Thomas, the House Ways and Means
Committee chairman who has been at odds with the HME industry for
years, announced last week that he will not seek re-election. The
California Republican’s current term, his 14th, ends in nine
months.

During his tenure, Thomas, 64, was instrumental in passage of a
number of measures that have been considered damaging to HME, most
notably the Medicare Modernization Act, which included a DME
competitive bidding provision. And in the recently passed Deficit
Reduction Act, he was successful in inserting a last-minute
provision to cap Medicare oxygen rental at 36 months–after both
the Senate and House of Representatives had passed versions of the
bill without it (see HomeCare
Monday, Jan. 9).

Thomas, who has served in Congress since 1979, became famous for
his temper and clashes with colleagues, sometimes with Senate
counterpart Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the Senate
Finance Committee, over policy and procedures. Under House rules,
Thomas has to step down at the end of this term as chairman of the
powerful Ways and Means Committee–a position he has held since
2001.

While Thomas will be leaving, some industry advocates are
concerned he could propose other measures before his retirement
that could hurt HME.

“I have no delusions that all of a sudden he’s going to go
away,” said John Gallagher, vice president of government relations
for Waterloo, Iowa-based VGM Group and spokesman for Last Chance
for Patient Choice, a non-profit group that staged a late January
protest outside Thomas’ Bakersfield, Calif., office.

“While we’re doing the jig and the happy dance, we still have
nine months. We’ve got to make sure we don’t get hit again,”
Gallagher warned.

Cara Bachenheimer, vice president of government relations for
Elyria, Ohio-based Invacare Corp., agreed that it’s not time to
breathe a sigh of relief just yet. “We still have a big year. Lots
of things could develop during 2006. Even after Chairman Thomas
retires, the industry has its work cut out,” she said. “We need to
make the extra effort, member by member, to educate them about the
value and services we provide that enable consumers with acute and
chronic conditions to live a better quality of life in their
homes.”