As providers feeling the impact of the national expansion of competitive bidding have been sharing their experiences, that has in turn generated some much-needed coverage from the news media, according to the American Association for Homecare.
The association, which has been encouraging providers to share those stories and has been collecting them, has said the resulting news coverage helps build the industry’s exposure and credibility on Capitol Hill. That improved standing comes at a time when the industry is preparing to engage in a September push to advance reforms of the bid expansion when lawmakers return to the House and Senate on Sept. 6.
Some key pieces of news coverage include:
- “As Congress Returns, Homecare Industry Says Urgent Action Needed on Medicare Reimbursement,” an Aug. 31 piece from InsideSources.
- “Congress should stand up for small businesses and seniors on Medicare,” an Aug. 30 opinion column appearing on The Hill, which was written by Christopher Coursen. Coursen worked as Republican Majority Counsel for the Senate Commerce Committee, and Chief Counsel of the Communications Subcommittee for three years, and is the president and CEO of The Status Group, a Washington-based government consulting firm.
- “Rural Americans on Medicare Will Continue to Receive Inadequate Care Unless Congress Acts,” an Aug. 29 opinion piece written by Keith Pemrick for Morning Consult. Pemrick has worked as Congressional staff and is an adjunct professor at American University, as well as a managing partner of the bipartisan public policy firm Commonwealth Strategic Partners.
“We are also using these stories on Capitol Hill with offices that are especially interested in seeing the real world implications of these cuts,” a statement from AAHomecare read.
The association urged providers to continue emailing their stories to Tilly Gambill at tillyg@aahomecare.org, adding that if they do not feel comfortable having their stories shared in the media, and only wish them to be shared with Congressional staff to let Gambill know.