WASHINGTON--The American Association for Homecare expects hundreds of providers, patients and manufacturers at its legislative fly-in and advocacy effort on Capitol Hill today and Tuesday.
Among its top priorities are bills to repeal the Medicare oxygen therapy changes passed in the Deficit Reduction Act and a bill to amend competitive acquisition mandated by the Medicare Modernization Act. AAHomecare said it is asking Congress to:
- Support H.R. 5513, the Home Oxygen Patient Protection Act of 2006. The bill repeals the provision of the Deficit Reduction Act that forces beneficiaries to own and assume responsibility for oxygen equipment.
- Support the Hobson-Tanner bill, H.R. 3559, which amends the competitive bidding under MMA to ensure quality standards are in place, preserve patient access to home care and protect small providers.
- Urge CMS to use the alternative to gap-filling for setting the fee schedule for the new power mobility codes.
- Preserve the Medicare home health inflation update to strengthen access to care and offset technology, fuel and skilled labor costs.
AAHomecare also is spearheading a patient call-in to support the Home Oxygen Patient Protection Act. The association is urging HME providers and their patients to call congressional representatives Tuesday, and has posted talking points about the recent change in oxygen policy on its Web site at www.aahomecare.org. "A call will help us make a strong case for preserving sensible oxygen policy in Medicare," the association said. You can find your state's representatives at www.house.gov, or call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121.