The American Association for Homecare is reporting that, according to the Clerk of the House of Representatives, H.R. 284 has been tentatively scheduled for a vote on Monday afternoon.
The House bill is part of The Medicare Competitive Bidding Improvement Act (MCBIA), which comprises House and Senate bills that were launched as the 114th Congress began at the start of the year. The act would nix suicide bidding by requiring bidders in the Round Two re-compete and all future bids to obtain surety bonds that force them to accept bidding contracts. If a bidder declines a contract that is at or above its bid amount, the bidder forfeits the bond.
Reps. Pat Tiberi (R-Ohio) and John Larson (D-Conn.), who are both members of the House Ways and Means Committee, introduced H.R. 284 into the House, and as of yesterday, the bill was up to 59 co-sponsors.
“It will be good news if the House passes the binding bids legislation, but that victory is one step in a larger process,” read a statement from AAHomecare. “AAHomecare is lobbying both the House and Senate on behalf of the industry, and is already moving on the Senate version, which will be the next step after H.R. 284 is passed out of the House. AAHomecare will alert the industry when grassroots action is needed.”
Providers interested in following Monday’s House activities regarding H.R. 284 can watch the proceedings on the House website (www.house.gov/content/features/story2/) or on C-SPAN (www.c-span.org/video/?324746-3/us-house-legislative-business). With votes scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time, AAHomecare stated it estimates debate over H.R. 284 should occur sometime that afternoon.