WASHINGTON, DC – One week into the new Congress and we already have House and Senate binding bids bills to improve the competitive bidding program. Having bills jointly introduced the House and Senate shows that our issues are being taken seriously, and each came out of the gate with a strong list of cosponsors.
We’re grateful to have so many homecare supporters in Congress that recognize that this program is harmful to patients, it’s harmful to businesses, and there is a fix on the table that needs to be passed now.
The Medicare Competitive Bidding Improvement Act (MCBIA), S.148/H.R. 284 would ban non-binding bids, the biggest problem with the Medicare competitive bidding program. With the round two recompete opening in less than two weeks, we need to create a firestorm on Capitol Hill. We need this sense of urgency to be in the hearts of every member of Congress and everyone in the homecare community.
If we want to see the industry survive and be successful, every single one of us must be involved. Now is not the time to be a spectator and watch how this plays out. This is the call to arms for those who have not entered the arena. If you haven’t contacted your elected officials yet, pick up the phone and get it done. We got into this business to help people, and now we need to step up and help ourselves and our peers. — Tom Ryan
Comp Bidding Criticized in Fortune Magazine
In a recent editorial in Fortune Magazine, Ezekiel Emanuel, former Special Advisor for Health Policy to the Office of Management and Budget, condemned the current Medicare competitive bidding program, saying it stifled competition and did not lower prices.
“Medicare could use some help to improve the competitive bidding process so gaming is reduced, the bids are binding, and quality is guaranteed,” stated Emanuel in the article. Ezekiel Emanuel is currently an oncologist and Chair of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania. He has written about health policy in numerous publications, including The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and is the author of 10 books on healthcare.
CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner is Stepping Down
WASHINGTON, DC – As reported in the Washington Post and elsewhere, CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner is stepping down from her post at CMS. Read the full Washington Post article here…