WASHINGTON—More than 50 American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) board and council leaders are set to meet with approximately 140 House and Senate offices on May 15. Advocates will discuss a range of issues, including Medicare reimbursement policy—specifically, the need to pass 75/25 relief legislation that has moved through House and Senate committees but was not included in recent spending bills.
AAHomecare is calling on providers to ask their senators and representatives to help move the 75/25 relief forward before the fly-in. Calls and emails to health care staff for Senators and Representative over the next two weeks can be a force multiplier for those upcoming in-person meetings set for Capitol Hill, AAHomecare said.
"The message is simple: Ask your Senators and Representatives to reach out to leadership in their respective chambers in support of extending the 75/25 Medicare blended rates for durable medical equipment (DME) in non-rural areas through 2024 as soon as possible," a call to action from AAHomecare said. "You should emphasize that cuts have already taken effect and share how they are impacting your ability to support your patients."
AAHomecare noted that for Senate members, those calling in can also note that this relief was included in S. 1294, which passed the Senate Finance Committee by a unanimous vote on Nov. 8, 2023. For House members, callers can share that these provisions were part of H.R. 5555, which was approved by the Energy & Commerce Committee by voice vote on Dec. 6, 2023.
"Please seek your Senators’ and Representative’s support in moving this relief forward in any appropriate legislative package as soon as possible," AAHomecare said.
AAHomecare has provided additional materials and messaging points that can be found here. You can also encourage your colleagues and contacts to send a pre-drafted message through the AAHomecare Voter Voice system.
"Those messages don’t have the impact of a direct call or email to Capitol Hill, but they do help convey support on the issue," AAHomecare said.
Contact Gordon Barnes at gordonb@aahomecare.org for contact information for House and Senate health care staff and any other assistance you need in developing and delivering a strong message.
Legislative Update Webinar May 6
AAHomecare will hold a legislative update open to the home medical equipment (HME) community to learn more about the ask and how to be a force multiplier for meetings on Capitol Hill. May 6 at 2:00 PM ET. Register here.
