WASHINGTON—Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) introduced legislation that would improve access to titanium and carbon fiber wheelchairs for Medicare beneficiaries. The new bill, S 5154, would create two new HCPCS codes for Complex Rehab Technology (CRT) manual wheelchairs and allow for an upgrade within a code. See bill language here.
S 5154 provides a Senate complement to similar legislation in the House, HR 5371.
The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) said the Senate bill drops at an opportune time for mobility stakeholders and disability advocates to ask their legislators to co-sponsor and move the bill forward, coming on the heels of AAHomecare’s Sept. 10 CRT-focused Capitol Hill fly-in and the NCART and VGM’s fly-in that took place on Tuesday, Sept. 24.
AAHomecare's Call to Action
AAHomecare asked those within the industry to reach out to their Senators to ask that they co-sponsor and support S 5154 and urge their representative in the House to push HR 5371 forward before the end of the year.
AAHomecare has additional guidance on messaging and reaching out to Capitol Hill at aahomecare.org/crt-advocacy.
"Your outreach this week will reinforce the face-to-face advocacy case that mobility leaders have made in these recent Capitol Hill meetings with members of Congress and staff," AAHomecare said.
While direct contact with Senators’ and Representative’s health care staff makes the strongest impression, AAHomecare said, those reaching out can also send a pre-drafted message supporting these bills using the organization's Voter Voice advocacy tool. AAHomecare asked those using the pre-drafted message to edit the letter to include their own unique perspectives on how increasing access to titanium and carbon fiber wheelchairs will improve the lives of the patients they serve.
