Americans’ access to Medicare-provided durable medical equipment (DME) would be retained under bipartisan legislation sponsored on May 15 by U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA).
“For seniors, people with disabilities, and people with chronic medical conditions, access to durable medical equipment is fundamental,” Rep. McMorris Rodgers said. “But this equipment cannot save lives if it isn’t made available to those who need it most, especially in rural communities where we know barriers to access health care already exist.”
Rep. McMorris Rodgers introduced the Protecting Home Oxygen & Medical Equipment (HOME) Access Act of 2019, H.R. 2771, with U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack (D-IA) to remedy federal policy and regulatory changes that led to reduced DME reimbursement rates, which Rep. McMorris Rodgers said resulted in DME access constraints and shifted costs to other areas of Medicare.
The bill would preserve access to DME by delaying the July 2016 cuts to DME payments in rural areas that effectively decreased Medicare reimbursement rates by more than 50 percent on average, according to the congresswoman.
Specifically, H.R. 2771 would direct the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise regulations with respect to payment rates for DME under the Medicare program, according to the congressional record.
The proposal has been referred for consideration to both the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee and the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee.