Some Senate Republicans Unsure on Sequester Extension
Providers urged to call on GOP Senators to extend the pause on 2% sequester cuts through the duration of the public health emergency.
- By David Kopf
- Dec 10, 2020
The American Association for Homecare reported that some Senate Republicans are hesitating to support legislation that would extend the suspension of 2 percent fee-for-service payment cuts until the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
The pause on those cuts is currently slated to end Dec. 31, but Reps. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) and David McKinley (R-W.V.) have launched H.R. 8840 in the House to extend that suspension. Support in the upper chamber will be needed to see that legislative language become law.
So the association is calling on HME stakeholders with Republican Senators to get them to back the extension.
“It is crucial that Republican Senators hear from healthcare providers, including the HME community, about the importance of this much-needed relief,” a statement from the association read. “If you are represented by Republican Senators, please urge them to weigh in with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and ask him to extend the Medicare sequester moratorium until the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency.”
AAHomecare compiled a list of the Republican Senators providers should contact:
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Alabama
Richard Shelby (R)
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Alaska
Dan Sullivan (R)
Lisa Murkowski (R)
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Arkansas
Tom Cotton (R)
John Boozman (R)
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Colorado
Cory Gardner (R)
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Florida
Rick Scott (R)
Marco Rubio (R)
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Georgia
David Perdue (R)
Kelly Loeffler
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Idaho
Jim Risch (R)
Mike Crapo (R)
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Indiana
Mike Braun (R)
Todd Young (R)
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Iowa
Joni Ernst (R)
Chuck Grassley (R)
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Kansas
Pat Roberts (R)
Jerry Moran (R)
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Kentucky
Mitch McConnell (R)
Rand Paul (R)
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Louisiana
Bill Cassidy (R)
John Kennedy (R)
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Maine
Susan Collins (R)
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Mississippi
Roger Wicker (R)
Cindy Hyde-Smith (R)
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Missouri
Josh Hawley (R)
Roy Blunt (R)
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Montana
Steve Daines (R)
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Nebraska
Deb Fischer (R)
Ben Sasse (R)
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North Carolina
Thom Tillis (R)
Richard Burr (R)
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North Dakota
Kevin Cramer (R)
John Hoeven (R)
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Ohio
Rob Portman (R)
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Oklahoma
Jim Inhofe (R)
James Lankford (R)
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Pennsylvania
Pat Toomey (R)
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South Carolina
Lindsey Graham (R)
Tim Scott (R)
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South Dakota
Mike Rounds (R)
John Thune (R)
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Tennessee
Marsha Blackburn (R)
Lamar Alexander (R)
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Texas
Ted Cruz (R)
John Cornyn (R)
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Utah
Mitt Romney (R)
Mike Lee (R)
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West Virginia
Shelley Moore Capito (R)
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Wisconsin
Ron Johnson (R)
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Wyoming
John Barrasso (R)
Mike Enzi (R)
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Providers can send a personal email to a Senate staffer using AAHomecare’s Action Center.
About the Author
David Kopf is the Publisher HME Business, DME Pharmacy and Mobility Management magazines. He was Executive Editor of HME Business and DME Pharmacy from 2008 to 2023. Follow him on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/dkopf/ and on Twitter at @postacutenews.