Congress: Tell us your stories

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 23, 2013—All of the congressional speakers at last week’s Washington Legislative Conference sessions had the same message for the homecare sector: Tell us your stories. “It is truly important to talk with your elected representatives,” said Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.). “Make it personal.” She continued by encouraging attendees to help Congress understand that DME providers are meeting the needs of more than 8 million Americans, so it’s imperative that they stay in business.

Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) agreed that provider stories are important. However, he would like stories by and about patients that will force both Congress and CMS to pay attention to the severity of the problems that plague the current bidding program. His advice is for providers to keep detailed logs about patient access issues, and to have patients call their representative rather than CMS when they want to report a problem.

Stories from DME providers and their patients will also help Rep. Glenn “G.T.” Thompson (R-Pa.) build stronger support for homecare in the halls of Congress. “If any other group had to work with the rules that CMS has created for its bidding program, they’d go crazy,” he said.

If you haven’t yet called your Representative or emailed them, use the AAHomecare Action Center at action.aahomecare.org today. Be sure to pass this link to your employees, your patients, their caregivers, and anyone else you know who has a stake in keeping homecare accessible.

Special thanks to our event sponsors and exhibitors. Their generous support for the Legislative Conference allows us to hold down registration costs and helps more HME advocates to participate each year. Learn more at www.aahomecare.org.