WASHINGTON, DC – Now that advocates have secured a win in one of the four areas that AAHomecare and Congressional champions have identified as policy priorities, three significant issues remain:

• Long-term structural fixes for the competitive bidding program
• Relief for HME suppliers in rural areas who have faced drastic Medicare reimbursement cuts
• Restoring stationary oxygen rates in rural areas that have been recently cut

AAHomecare is ready to pick up the fight on these issues as the second half of 2017 begins and will continue to engage Capitol Hill, CMS, and HHS directly. “We’ll also keep working with other HME stakeholder groups, as well as organizations representing patient groups who depend on our products and services,” wrote AAHomecare officials in a message to members. “And finally, we’ll make our strongest push yet to rally HME providers, manufacturers, and our state/regional association allies to raise the volume and urgency on these issues. The current business environment for HME remains challenging for almost every segment of this industry. While we pause to reflect on last week’s good news, be assured that AAHomecare will continue to actively advocate for sustainable reimbursement rates and sensible regulatory policy for this industry.”