Action Alert: Congress Continues To Consider Cuts To Homecare Programs, USA

Main Category: Caregivers / Homecare
Article Date: 15 Jun 2007 - 1:00 PDT

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Congress needs to hear loud support for homecare programs, particularly for the home oxygen benefit and for changes to competitive bidding. Medicare bills are percolating in Congress right now and cuts to homecare are being considered.

The Senate Finance Committee is moving forward on a bill that would expand as well as reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to cover more children. This bill would have a large price tag in the $40 to $50 billion range. That means that under the current pay-as-you-go rules, Congress will be looking for offsets (spending cuts elsewhere) or tax increases to pay for the SCHIP bill. Some targets could yield a lot of money - for instance reducing payments to the Medicare Advantage plans or increasing tobacco taxes. Cuts to home medical equipment would yield much smaller savings, but apparently HME cuts are on the table, according to CongressDaily. Earlier this week, Senate Finance Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) discussed possible cuts with several other committee members - ranking member Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), and Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.).

Homecare providers in all states should contact their Senators and Representatives immediately, if they haven't already, to remind them not to cut homecare. Providers in Montana, Iowa, Utah, and West Virginia should make sure that Senators Baucus, Grassley, Hatch, and Rockefeller know where you stand. Dial 202-224-3121 for the switchboard at the U.S. Capitol, which can connect you to any office in Congress.

Lobbying Results Begin to Emerge: About Two Dozen New Cosponsors on Key Bills

Since the beginning of recent lobbying push, which culminated in 272 homecare meetings with U.S. House and Senate offices in Washington last week, about two dozen new cosponsors have signed on to the key oxygen and competitive bidding bills. About 225 homecare stakeholders met with congressional offices on Capitol Hill last week during the American Association for Homecare Washington Legislative Conference. Thanks to all the providers, state associations, and others who have worked to secure this support for stronger homecare policy.

New Cosponsors for Tanner-Hobson bill, H.R. 1845, the Medicare Durable Medical Equipment Access Act of 2007:

- Akin, W. Todd (Mo.)
- Baldwin, Tammy (Wisc.)
- Braley, Bruce L. (Iowa)
- Camp, Dave (Mich.)
- Cramer, Robert E. (Bud), Jr. (Ala.)
- Davis, David (Tenn.)
- Gillmor, Paul E. (Ohio)
- Gordon, Bart (Tenn.)
- McNulty, Michael R. (N.Y.)
- Moran, Jerry (Kan.)
- Musgrave, Marilyn N. (Colo.)
- Peterson, Collin C. (Minn.)
- Ryan, Tim (Ohio)
- Salazar, John T. (Colo.)
- Tierney, John F. (Mass.)
- Wamp, Zach (Tenn.)

New Cosponsor for S. 1428, Hatch-Conrad bill, the Medicare Durable Medical Equipment Access Act of 2007:

Susan Collins (R-Maine) joins Senators Hatch, Conrad, Roberts, and Specter as a cosponsor of the bill.

New Cosponsors for H.R. 621, Home Oxygen Patient Protection Act, introduced by Tom Price (R-Ga.):

- Abercrombie, Neil (Hawaii)
- Andrews, Robert E. (N.J.)
- Davis, Jo Ann (Va.)
- Hayes, Robin (N.C.)
- Fortenberry, Jeff (Neb.)
- Peterson, Collin C. (Minn.)
- Ryan, Tim (Ohio)
- Schwartz, Allyson Y. (Pa.)

So far, there are no new cosponsors reported for the companion bill in the Senate, S. 1484, also called the Home Oxygen Patient Protection Act.

June 26 AAHomecare Teleconference: Improve Outcomes for Sleep Patients

Speaker: Jill Glenn, Sleep Medicine NW; Tuesday, June 26, 2007, 2:00 -3:30 p.m. EST

Join AAHomecare's educational teleconference, Update and Overview of Technologies used to Improve Adherence and Outcomes with Sleep-Disordered Breathing (SDB) Patients."Many new and innovative tools have been developed and released over the past few years in terms of options to treat SDB. Learn more about the current approaches and how best to use these tools to improve compliance and efficacy and learn out about existing modes and pathways that may be overlooked or misunderstood. To participate, visit http://www.aahomecare.org for a registration form. Fees: $129 member, $189 nonmember or contact Kim Kianka Roberti, kimk@aahomecare.org .

American Association for Homecare
2011Crystal Drive, Suite 725, Arlington, VA 22202
For more information, please call AAHomecare at (703) 836-6263.
http://www.aahomecare.org

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