Our lawmakers return to work today after an extended summer holiday. They will have 17 work days this month, and then will break again for the elections to take place. The DME relief bills need to get reconciled and put on the President’s desk before the next recess. S 2736 and HR 5210 were not able to be reconciled prior to the recess due in large part to the inability to agree on an acceptable payfor.
Lawmakers and DME providers should rightfully be leery of cuts that perpetuate a flawed Medicare reimbursement model to the Medicaid program. Ideally we need to seek alternative funding sources that do not come directly from the pockets of DME providers. For example, the President’s 2017 Budget proposed a provision to permit CMS to pay the RACs after the second level of appeals and to utilize a portion of the RAC overpayments to subsidize OMHA appeals improvements. Instead, could Congress use this option as an alternative payfor to offset DME cuts? It certainly merits consideration!
Lawmakers and DME providers should rightfully be leery of cuts that perpetuate a flawed Medicare reimbursement model to the Medicaid program. Ideally we need to seek alternative funding sources that do not come directly from the pockets of DME providers. For example, the President’s 2017 Budget proposed a provision to permit CMS to pay the RACs after the second level of appeals and to utilize a portion of the RAC overpayments to subsidize OMHA appeals improvements. Instead, could Congress use this option as an alternative payfor to offset DME cuts? It certainly merits consideration!
We have the ear of Congress as evidenced by the passing of the Senate and House bills. Now is the time to make YOUR voice heard. Tell your story. Request that your lawmakers act to preserve access to DME in their state and local communities by urging lawmakers to reconcile the bills with a payfor that will provide material relief to DME suppliers. Dial the US Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and request to be routed to your congressman's office to speak with their staff. Encourage your staff, family and customers to light up the lines, too. Assume we only have until the end of this month to get this job done… the election break will not be productive to furtherance of this cause.
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