Rep. Thomas to Retire

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 month that he will not seek re-election. The California Republican’s current term, his 14th, concludes at the end of the year.

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 rentals at 36 months — after both the Senate and House of Representatives had passed versions of the bill without it.

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 that could hurt HME before his retirement.

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

“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.”

Be Heard on the Hill

These upcoming events give providers the opportunity to share their concerns with Congress:

• NCART Legislative Fly-In, May 22-23, www.ncart.us
• Last Chance for Patient Choice Rally, May 24, www.lastchanceforpatients.org
• AAHomecare Legislative Fly-In, June 19-20, www.aahomecare.org