Friday’s release of MedPAC’s report to Congress on Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System represents another missed opportunity by the Commission to address the serious problems with Medicare’s competitive bidding program for durable medical equipment (DME) as well as the disastrous application of bidding-derived pricing to rural and other less-populous communities.   “Medicare’s bidding program for DME and the expanded use of bidding-derived pricing beyond...

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Reforming the Competitive Bidding Program Background In 2003, the Medicare Modernization Act authorized the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to develop a program for home medical equipment (HME) to find market-based prices to replace the current fee-for-service prices.  CMS implemented the DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program in 2008, which was halted a mere two weeks later by Congress due to program design and execution problems.  With a few cosmetic changes to the auction...

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Rural Relief from the Competitive Bidding Program Take Action! Join rural relief efforts by visiting the Action Center to send a message to elected officials requesting co-sponsorship of HR 4229, Protecting HOME Access Act.  Issue Brief for H.R. 4229 Congressional Directory Background In 2003, the Medicare Modernization Act authorized the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to develop a program for home medical equipment (HME) to find market-based prices to replace...

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Rural Relief from unsustainable Home Oxygen Therapy Rates Join home oxygen therapy rural relief efforts by visiting the Action Center to send a message to elected officials requesting co-sponsorship of HR 4229, Protecting HOME Access Act.  Issue Brief: Rural O2 Access Congressional Directory Background In addition to the drastic rate reductions for home oxygen therapy under the Competitive Bidding program, suppliers of this life sustaining, legend drug in rural and non-bid...

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