WASHINGTON, D.C. – Legislation to extend the 75/25 blended rate for suppliers in non-bid areas was recently approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The Senate Finance Committee passed similar legislation in early November. AAHomecare is asking HME advocates to help make one more push to Senators and Representatives to have this relief included in government funding legislation that is likely to be considered in January 2024.

Ask your Senators and Representatives to reach out to leadership in their respective chambers in support of including S. 1294 or H.R. 5555 among healthcare provisions in upcoming government funding legislation. Specific asks by chamber & party:

• For Senate Democrats: Please ask your Senator to contact Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office and ask that S. 1294 be included in government funding legislation in January.
• For Senate Republicans: Please ask your Senator to contact Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office and ask that S. 1294 be included in government funding legislation in January.
• For House Democrats: Please ask your Representative to contact House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and ask that H.R. 5555 be included in government funding legislation in January.
• For House Republicans: Please ask your Representative to contact Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and ask that H.R. 5555 be included in government funding legislation in January.

For Senate members, you can also note that S. 1294 passed the Senate Finance Committee by a unanimous vote on Nov. 8. For House members, you can share that H.R. 5555 passed the Energy & Commerce Committee by voice vote on Dec. 6.

Both bills continue 75/25 blended Medicare rate relief granted in 2022 Omnibus budget for an additional year and provide more stability for suppliers in non-bid areas as well as bolstering rates from other payers who are influenced by Medicare rates, including TRICARE and Medicaid programs in more than 20 states.

If you took part in our September or November virtual fly-ins, please follow up with the offices you met with to ask for their support. And even if you haven’t reached out to your legislators before, you can still weigh in with this request.  Contact Gordon Barnes at [email protected] for contact information for your legislators’ healthcare staffers or any other help in crafting and deliver your message.

You can also send a pre-drafted message to your Senators and Representatives using our Voter Voice advocacy tool.  You can edit the draft letter to include more details about your company and patients, as well as how the disconnect between current reimbursement rates and rising product and operational costs are affecting your business and your patients. Take action here.

We hope you’ll join us as we make one more push to bring home a win on Medicare reimbursement policy.