WASHINGTON, D.C. – The campaign to engage Trump Administration decision makers and Capitol Hill on plans to restart the Competitive Bidding Program for DME continues without pause. Last week, AAHomecare’s team met in the White House with the Administration’s deputy chief of staff for Legislative Affairs & Public Policy and the special assistant for Domestic Policy to drive home our messages on significant problems with provisions proposed for a new bidding round. That meeting follows last week’s in-person meeting with the director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.

Seeking Support on Capitol Hill
AAHomecare and HME stakeholders are also enlisting Capitol Hill to echo industry messages and demonstrate the urgency for reconsidering the DME component of the proposed rule. Most recently AAHomecare joined with leaders of the Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition to engage the House and Senate Diabetes Caucus.

Potential CB impacts on small businesses have been of particular interest to members of the Administration and on Capitol Hill. Stakeholders are encouraged to amplify that message in asking Senators and Representatives to weigh in with CMS. In addition, AAHomecare is working with Champions in the House on a Congressional sign-on letter to CMS on the CB program.

Looking to October 31 – and Beyond
CMS could release a DMEPOS/Home Health Final Rule as early as October 31. AAHomecare has seen no indication that the current government will push that release back, so it is continuing to operate at full throttle. The newest component to the campaign, targeted advertising in the DC region, began sharing messages on social channels, websites, and video programming on Oct. 13.

The team at AAHomecare is laying the groundwork for the campaign to continue through the rest of 2025. If the major issues with the  CB program provisions and expanded product categories from the Proposed Rule are included on Final Rule released on Oct. 31 or thereafter, the HME community can be assured that work to address these issues will remain an absolute top priority for AAHomecare – all in an effort to make sure policymakers understand what’s at stake for the industry and the millions of patients and caregivers who depend on HME.