Legislation to Delay Rural Cuts In Senate via Hotline Process

PADME Act Stalled in Senate July 15, 2016. Read the update here. 

Washington, D.C. (July 13, 2016)—The recently passed House version of the Patient Access to Durable Medical Equipment Act (H.R. 5210) is currently under consideration in the Senate via the hotline process. This legislation:

• Delays the second cut for HME items in non-bid areas until September 30.
• Instructs the Dept. of Health & Human Services to study the impact of bidding-derived payment adjustments on suppliers and beneficiary access by September 2016 (exact date not specified).
• Includes other non-HME-specific Medicare- and Medicare-related legislation that have previously passed the House, as well as other unrelated items as noted in this bill summary.

The bill is being considered using a hotline process in which the bill was introduced and distributed to all 100 Senate offices. Senators have 24 hours to object to the legislation; the bill is considered passed if no objections are made.

 With Congress set for a lengthy recess at the end of this week, passing this legislation would give our champions in the House and Senate more time to work out a longer delay when they return to work in early September. The legislation will also require the approval of President Obama to become law.



AAHomecare will provide additional updates when the results of this process are released. For more information, visit aahomecare.org.