WASHINGTON — H.R. 1936, the Medicare Access to Diabetes Supplies Act, would permanently exempt small community pharmacies from the competitive bidding program for diabetes testing supplies. The exemption in the bill, introduced May 23 by Reps. Aaron Schock, R-Ill., and Peter Welch, D-Vt., covers diabetes test strips, monitors, lancets, glucose control solutions and applies to community pharmacies with 10 or fewer locations.
"Without enactment of this legislation, or a comparable exemption, seniors would suffer diminished access as small pharmacies could no longer offer these supplies and provide face-to-face guidance," the National Community Pharmacists Association noted in an endorsement of the legislation. "Most independent pharmacies will not be able to meet the competitive bidding requirement to service an entire Metropolitan Statistical Area and to match the cut-rate bid prices of giant mail order facilities."
CMS' current bid program includes mail-order diabetes supplies, but the agency has indicated that it may include diabetic supplies obtained at retail locations in future rounds of competitive bidding.
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