Count the Ballots for Home Care, New Survey Says

ARLINGTON, Va.–Seventy-eight percent of voters would pull the
lever for congressional candidates who would strengthen Medicare
coverage for power wheelchairs, oxygen devices, hospitals beds and
other DME and services, according to a new survey.

The survey results also show 74 percent of Americans think home
care is part of the solution to the problem of rising Medicare
spending, and 82 percent said they would prefer home care over
institutional care if they needed medical services.

Commissioned by the American Association for Homecare, a
national telephone survey of 1,000 adults found strong majorities
of both Democrats (85 percent) and Republicans (71 percent) support
home care-friendly candidates. The survey was conducted in December
by Harris Interactive, which also conducts The Harris Poll, the
longest-running independent opinion poll.

People age 55 and older–a population of 69 million
Americans–are more likely to favor candidates who support home
care (83 percent) than those who are younger (76 percent), the
survey found. But AARP has dubbed the 2008 election as “the 50-plus
election,” estimating that voters age 50-plus will turn out in even
greater numbers than during the 2006 elections.

AAHomecare is hoping Congress will get the message when HME
advocates converge on Capitol Hill for its Washington Legislative
Conference, scheduled March 4-6. On track for a big turnout at the
annual lobbying event, the association has booked overflow rooms in
addition to conference headquarters at the L’Enfant Plaza.

“We should use this survey as a springboard to talk with
policymakers because it does show that Americans believe home care
providers are valuable to disabled and elderly beneficiaries,” said
AAHomecare’s Walt Gorski, vice president, government relations.

“I cannot think of a time in recent memory where so many issues
are breaking at once,” he said. “With the magnitude and sheer
number of issues that we have on Capitol Hill, our goal should be
to meet with every member of Congress. Power wheelchairs, oxygen,
competitive bidding, payment updates–these are critical issues to
the industry, and without providers educating their members of
Congress, it is much harder to defend the field from these
issues.

“The fraud-and-abuse issue also creates a poisonous environment
for HME on Capitol Hill,” Gorski continued, “and, truly, the only
way to change that perception is for providers who are furnishing
the care and patients who receive that care to put a face on HME.
Otherwise, in many people’s minds, HME is drop-shipping a quad cane
to a beneficiary.”

At a recent congressional briefing on competitive bidding, in
fact, CMS staff slammed the industry “as a hotbed of fraud,”
AAHomecare reported. (See HomeCare
Monday, Jan. 28.)

In addition, President Bush’s 2009 budget request is expected to
call for a massive decrease in Medicare spending, press reports
said last week. The New York Times put the number at $97
billion by 2013. Medicaid spending would be cut by $15 billion over
five years, according to the report.

Although Congress may balk at the request, the nation’s
legislators must still figure out what to do about a physician fee
cut currently set for July. In wrangling over funding to avert that
cut last year, HME narrowly escaped a reduction of the oxygen
rental cap and elimination of the first-month purchase option for
power chairs.

“The timing of this survey is critical,” said AAHomecare
President Tyler Wilson in the association’s weekly newsletter.
“This is a very competitive election year. The president’s proposed
2009 budget, which will be released [today], is expected to include
cuts to DME, and some members of Congress will be looking at DME as
a target for budget savings. But we have the voters on our side if
we can make home care a campaign issue.”

For details of the survey and information on AAHomecare’s
Washington Legislative Conference, visit www.aahomecare.org.