Sen. Robert Casey (D-Pa.) has introduced a senate bill to protect patient access to complex rehab wheelchair accessories from CMS’s nationwide expansion of competitive bidding.
Casey introduced S. 2196 — under the full title “to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the non-application of Medicare competitive acquisition rates to complex rehabilitative wheelchairs and accessories” — into the upper chamber as the bill’s lead sponsor. Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) added their signatures as original co-sponsors for the legislation.
The Senate bill is companion legislation to H.R. 3229, which Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) launched in the House in July. So far, 35 lawmakers have signed on as co-sponsors of H.R. 3229.
Like its House companion legislation, S. 2196 aims to nix CMS’s plans to apply competitive bid program pricing to complex rehab wheelchair accessories as part of the expansion, which is slated for a Jan. 1, 2016 implementation. A statement from the American Association for Homecare says the application of bid pricing could impact as many as 171 wheelchair accessory codes.
“This legislation will protect Medicare beneficiaries who rely on this specialized equipment for mobility and meeting basic personal needs on a daily basis,” said AAHomecare president and CEO Tom Ryan. “Congress has previously recognized that specialized complex rehab wheelchairs and accessories are very different from standard wheelchairs, so severe cuts based on bidding program results for standard wheelchair accessories simply doesn’t make sense.
“Applying severe cuts in this area will ultimately restrict access to these essential products for people with profound disabilities, and will also increase challenges for the caregivers and institutions that serve this population,” Ryan added.
“Introduction of the bill is great news for all complex rehab stakeholders,” said Seth Johnson, vice president of government relations for Pride Mobility Products Corp. “We have been working with Sen. Casey’s office for years on various competitive bidding-related issues, and when we updated them on CMS’s plans to apply bid prices for standard wheelchair accessories to complex rehab wheelchair accessories, they took an active role in moving this important legislation forward.”
“We are grateful that Sen. Portman has taken a leadership role to ensure that people with disabilities will continue to have access to the complex wheelchair accessories they need to be able to function to the fullest extent possible,” said Cara Bachenheimer, senior vice president of government relations for Invacare Corp.
A statement from AAHomecare said the association will continue to work with the National Coalition for Assistive and Rehab Technology, as well as disability advocacy groups, in support of the bicameral legislation.