Eighty-two lawmakers signed on to a congressional letter opposing CMS’ proposal to take competitive bidding national that was led by Reps. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) and Bruce Braley (D-Iowa) and sent to CMS Administrator Marilynn Tavenner.
A statement from the American Association for Homecare stated the letter sent a “strong message” to CMS that Congress is serious about fixing the bid program.
The letter noted that the concerns were not limited to CMS’s recent proposals, but still fixated on the lack of transparency; improper vetting of contract awardees; and design flaws in the program. It also noted that the HHS Office of Inspector Generate has agreed to further investigate CMS’s implementation of the bid program.
“Given the OIG’s determination, we believe that it would be unwarranted to move in a direction that expands the program to non-competitive bid areas, prior o the finds of the investigation,” the letter states.
The letter recognized that CMS has a statutory obligation to implement a national program by 2016, but stated it was more important to first address problems with the program, and that Congress must be involved in that effort.
“We believe that Congress has an appropriate oversight role when it comes to implementing the MDPOS Competitive Bidding Program,” the letter continued. “Equally so, we believe that CMS can work with Congress to address these ongoing problems in a manner that will best serve Medicare beneficiaries.