NCAMES’ Ladd Lays Out ‘Hidden Costs’ of Bidding Program

DURHAM, N.C. — Marcia Ladd, president of the North
Carolina Association for Medical Equipment Services, recently told
the national ombudsman of the U.S. Small Business Administration
that Medicare competitive
bidding is keeping her company, Triangle Aftercare, from hiring
more workers and is forcing other North Carolina HME providers into
staffing and service cuts, according to a release. Since the
implementation of Round 1, Ladd told the SBA’s Esther Vassar, “What
we’re seeing right now from our peers in Charlotte is devastating
to their businesses and the people they employ and to the Medicare
beneficiaries in their area.” (Charlotte is one of the nine Round 1
bidding areas.)

“The government is trying to kill-off a large portion of our
industry by forcing HME providers into sub-industry pricing to
supply essential products and services,” Ladd said. “With less and
less HME providers available, seniors and other patients in
hospitals and long-term care facilities who want to move to less
expensive in-home care are forced to stay where they are, costing
taxpayers millions more dollars. This bidding program is
accomplishing the opposite objective of what the Obama
Administration is pushing with health care reform.”

Ladd made the case against the bid program at a “Startup
America” event held March 3 in Durham. Startup America is a White
House initiative to accelerate jobs growth throughout the
nation.

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