Providers Fight to Preserve Beneficiary's Right to Chose to Rent Medical Equipment, USA

Main Category: Caregivers / Homecare
Article Date: 06 Nov 2005 - 3:00 PDT

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As reported previously, the Senate version of the budget reconciliation package includes a section that would discontinue the capped rental option for home medical equipment, eliminating the Medicare beneficiary's choice of continuing to rent medical equipment in the capped rental category. This unfairly shifts costs and responsibilities for maintaining medical equipment to Medicare beneficiaries, and it will even further erode providers' ability to stay in business.

It's important for all 535 Members of Congress to hear about the importance of this issue immediately during current discussions about the federal budget. If each homecare provider would make one call or write one letter, that would make a big difference.

For providers who have a Republican Member of Congress, encourage them to relay concerns to Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) chairman of the Senate Finance Committee (on the Senate side) and to the chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) and Rep. Bill Thomas (R-California), chair of the House Ways and Means Committee (on the House side).

For providers who have a Democratic Member of Congress, encourage them to relay concerns to Senator Max Baucus (D-Montana), ranking member of Senate Finance Committee, and to the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) and to ranking member of House Ways and Means, Rep. John Dingell (D-Michigan). See the article below for more suggestions about contacting Congress.

Currently, homecare providers are required to notify patients about the option to rent durable medical equipment in the capped-rental category, but the vast majority of Medicare beneficiaries prefer to rent.

It is neither safe nor fair to shift the burden of cost for maintenance and repair for medical equipment to disabled or elderly Medicare beneficiaries. If the equipment is purchased, the patient incurs additional fees for clinical or emergency support or for exchange of malfunctioning equipment.

See full text of the AAHomecare letter to the Senate Finance Committee at http://www.aahomecare.org under Advocacy Priorities.

American Association for Homecare
625 Slaters Lane, Suite 200
Alexandria
VA 2314
USA
For more information, please call AAHomecare at (703) 836-6263.
http://www.aahomecare.org.

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