A letter that supports extending relief for all of Medicare’s non-CBAs (competitive bidding areas) through 2020 finished with 32 signatures from senators, according to an Oct. 10 bulletin from the American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare).
The letter was created by Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) and Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), and was available for signing on for just five days.
Nonetheless, AAHomecare pointed out that the signers included 10 of the 27 members of the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Medicare program.
The letter was sent to U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma.
“We write today regarding our continued concerns about beneficiary access to necessary durable medical equipment (DME) under Medicare’s competitive bidding program,” the letter said. “Ensuring access to DME is critically important to our constituents, particularly those residing in rural areas in our states. … Ensuring all Medicare beneficiaries in non-CBAs have access to the medical equipment they need has always been Congress’ intent.”
Additionally, the letter asks Azar and Verma to “extend the transitional blended payment rate to all non-CBAs uniformly and to continue to engage with industry stakeholders to address outstanding concerns surrounding future reimbursement adjustments.”
To read the full letter, click HERE.
