House Letter Asks for Rural Provider Relief

Lawmakers have until Nov. 16 to sign Rep. Tipton’s letter to Ways and Means leaders that calls attention to consequences of bid expansion.

• By David Kopf
• Nov 05, 2015

Congressman Scott Tipton (R-Colo.) has composed a “dear colleague” to the leaders of the House Ways and Means Committee highlighting the dangers national competitive bidding expansion poses for rural HME providers, and calling for relief for those businesses.

The letter, addressed to Acting Ways and Means Chairman Sam Johnson and Ranking Member Sander Levin, the letter (available as a PDF from VGM) calls on the committee leadership to ensure congress explores all available legislative means to prevent the cuts and protect access for beneficiaries and their families in rural areas.

“This rural hardship is the reason why Congress specifically excluded these very areas from competitive bidding,” Tipton writes in his letter. “There is already a larger barrier to access for home health services in rural parts of the country, and decreasing compensation for the services required to deliver equipment to this area reduces the likelihood that providers will continue to operate there.”

The deadline for lawmakers to sign Tipton’s dear colleague letter is close of business Nov. 16. Providers can urge their lawmakers to sign the letter using the Action Items page on VGM’s DC Link site. Providers should go to Action Items and click the top link, labeled “Take Action Today” in order to generate a message to their House Representatives encouraging them to sign on.