H.R. 1717, the bill that would replace competitive bidding with the industry’s market pricing program, has gained the support of two additional lawmakers.
Recently, Rep.’s Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) and Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.) added their signatures to the list of co-sponsors for the MPP bill Medicare DMEPOS Market Pricing Program Act of 2013. The bill was introduced into the House by Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), and Hunter’s and Ellmers’s backing bring the bill’s total number of backers to 171.
The lawmakers’ support comes after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced last week that it was seeking public comment on nationwide implementation of its competitive bidding program. Medicare must extend the bidding program or competitive bidding pricing for included items to areas that are current not part of the program by 2016.