WASHINGTON, D.C. – Within the newly filed Proposed Rule titled “Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System for Federal Fiscal Year 2027 and Updates to the IRF Quality Reporting Program” (CMS-1845-P), CMS proposed to change the bid surety bond for Remote Item Delivery (RID) competitive bidding programs. Specifically, CMS proposes to require bidders to obtain one bid surety bond of $100,000 for any and all bids submitted by a bidding entity for the RID CBP, regardless of the number of product categories on which a bidder bids.

CMS also proposes to maintain the $50,000 bid surety bond amount for all non-RID competitions. Note: the bid surety bond referenced here is separate from and additional to the Medicare surety bond required of all DMEPOS suppliers

The bid bond requirements are noted on pages 66-69 of the pre-publication PDF.  The Proposed Rule is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on Apr. 6, 2026. CMS is accepting comments on proposed rule until June 1, 2026.

CBIC Round 2028 Site Includes CB Round 2028 FAQs
The Competitive Bidding Implementation Contractor (CBIC) launched the Round 2028 webpage that features a list of 24 FAQs related to the new bidding round. Highlights of newly added questions include:

• Clarifies that one bid surety bond is required, per bidding entity, for each CBA where a bid(s) is submitted. Only one bid surety bond is required for a CBA regardless of the number of locations (identified by Provider Transaction Access Number (PTAN)) or product categories included on your bid for the CBA. For example, if a bidding entity has five locations on a bid for three product categories in one CBA, there must be one bid surety bond for the CBA. See Q&A here.
• List of HCPCS codes included in Round 2028 will be released in early summer 2026.  See Q&A here.
• Because CGMs and insulin pumps will be reimbursed at a bundled monthly rate, HCPCS codes E0784, E2102, and E2103 will shift to bundled monthly rental payments effective for Round 2028. The codes will remain in use for billing purposes, but payment will be a bundled monthly rate. See Q&A here.
• To determine the lead item for the new hydrophilic urinary catheters product category, CMS will use the most recent utilization data available. This will include partial-year 2026 claims for the HCPCS codes that became effective January 1, 2026 (A4295, A4296, and A4297). See Q&A here.
• For the Urological Supplies product category, HCPCS Level II codes A4351, A4352, and A4353 included hydrophilic urinary catheters prior to 2026. Because these codes no longer include hydrophilic catheters effective January 1, 2026, CMS will use partial-year 2026 claims data to determine utilization for this product category. See Q&A here.

All 24 questions and answers are also collected here in a single PDF. While all of the FAQs are noted as “new” on the CBIC page, several were included as FAQs published by CMS in January 2026.

AAHomecare thanks CMS for answering many of the CBP-related questions that were submitted by the Association. However, the FAQ falls short on answering questions such as how exactly the RID CBP will be phased in. AAHomecare will continue to work with CMS on gaining clarity on the next Round.

In addition, CMS announced they will be launching a bidder education initiative soon in preparation for the upcoming round. The CBIC website will be the primary resource for suppliers interested in learning more. Prospective bidders are encouraged to subscribe to the CBIC’s Email Updates.

See AAHomecare’s CB Round 2028 Resources page for additional information and updates.