Sen. John Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) is planning a hearing before the Health Subcommittee of the Senate Finance Committee for April 1 to discuss competitive bidding for home medical equipment.
Last June, Rockefeller along with Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.), Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.), Tom Coburn, MD (D-Ok.), and then Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Reid and Minority Leader McConnell expressing strong opposition to delaying CMS’s competitive bidding program.
Because of that the American Association for Homecare says this is reason to believe that the April hearing is likely to support re-implementation of the bidding program. “In advance of this hearing, it’s important for members of the Senate Finance Committee to hear from constituents about the many problems that plagued the start of the bidding program last summer,” read a public statement from the association.
Providers wishing to communicate to the Senators involved how competitive bidding would impact quality of care, patient access to care and HME, and the nation’s healthcare infrastructure can view the list of the Senate Finance Committee members at http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/committee.htm.
