WASHINGTON, DC – The 114th Congress convened for the first time on Jan 6, and AAHomecare hit the ground running with them. Reps Pat Tiberi (R-Ohio) [pictured] and John Larson (D-Conn) and Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Ben Cardin (D-Md) plan to jointly reintroduce the binding bid legislation in the new Congress early next week. They are working to get as many original cosponsors on the bills as possible before introduction. 

On June 19, 2014, Tiberi and Larson introduced the Medicare DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Act of 2014 (H.R. 4920), which would require proof of licensure before a supplier can submit a bid and requires a bidding supplier to obtain a bid bond in the next round of competitive bidding. Senator Portman and Cardin introduced the Senate companion bill (S. 2975) on December 4, 2014.  Both bills applied a common sense approach to address major flaws in the current bid system.

“The day Congress got to work, we were right there getting the ball rolling immediately on our legislation. Now is the time for our members to step in and tell their Congressmen that they need to support this bill. With the Round 2 Recompete right around the corner, we don’t have the luxury of waiting to see if Congressmen are going to get on board, we need to go to them now and show them why they need to sponsor this bill now,” said Tom Ryan, president and CEO of AAHomecare.

Contacting your legislators only takes a few minutes through the AAHomecare action center. You can use this opportunity to open the door to a relationship with your lawmakers that will serve you in the coming months as we fight the competitive bidding program.

“This quick and coordinated bipartisan introduction of House and Senate bills in the new Congress is the critical first step towards a speedy passage into law,” said Cara Bachenheimer, senior vice president of Government Relations, Invacare Corp. “We applaud these Senators and Representatives for recognizing the need to insert some level of rationality into the bid process.”

By the time Medtrade Spring rolls around, scheduled for March 30-April 1, the industry should know more about the fate of the bill. “Particularly if the bills fare well,” says Kevin Gaffney, group show director, “these exciting developments are sure to add optimism to Medtrade Spring.”

Registration for Medtrade Spring is open, and anyone who has any questions about the registration process should call: (877) 914-4677 (toll free) or (240) 439-2984 (International residents) between the hours of 9:00 am – 6:00 pm eastern standard time, or email: [email protected].

Use this link to register: http://registration.experientevent.com/showmth152/default.aspx?flowcode=attendee For more information about the show, visit www.medtradespring.com.