Wilson Talks Up HME in Capitol Hill Editorial

WASHINGTON — Last week Roll Call, the popular
Capitol Hill newspaper, published an editorial by American Association
for Homecare President Tyler Wilson on the importance of home
care in overall health care reform.

The piece makes the case for why policymakers, if they are
serious about lowering Medicare costs to fund health care reform,
should understand that home care is actually a cost-effective
alternative to more expensive forms of care and should be a
critical component — not a casualty — of American
health care reform.

“Current proposals under consideration in Washington will
undoubtedly limit Americans’ choice to access home medical
equipment and services,” Wilson wrote. “But what many policymakers
don’t realize is that further cuts to this sector are also likely
to increase Medicare costs over time because they will force more
people into nursing homes and hospitals and spur more frequent
visits to emergency rooms …

“Most home medical equipment costs just dollars a day. The cost
of providing the equipment and service for home oxygen, for
example, is less than $7 per day under Medicare. Compare that to
the average daily cost of about $200 for a nursing facility and
more than $5,000 per day for a hospital stay under Medicare.”

The editorial appeared July 6 in the newspaper’s online policy
forum.

Read the full text of the editorial, titled “Home Care:
A Critical Health Care Reform Solution.”