HARRISBURG, PA – That’s right, gang. Our long struggle against the
evils of the Medicare competitive bidding program is still not over.
Seriously.
July 1 may have come and gone, but the final bell
has yet to be rung on this battle between an industry characterized by
small, local, independent providers and the Big Government Goliath known
as CMS.
It’s time for the underfunded underdogs to let the deep-pocketed
Washington bullies know that we are not going to simply roll over and
allow them to dismantle the patient-centered businesses that we have
built with the sweat of our brows.
Perseverance seems to be a
lost character trait in this age of high-speed internet and instant
gratification. But the perseverance to continue the fight against all
odds is exactly what’s needed today.
The great Vince Lombardi said it this way: “Winners never quit and
quitters never win.” Lombardi’s legacy is not simply as a great football
coach. His enduring greatness is as a leader of men; as a builder of
the character traits that fostered winning attitudes. Character traits
that made good players great and made great teams legendary.
If
the HME industry is to win this BIG BATTLE, it is going to be because we
refuse to quit. We refuse to be discouraged. We refuse to be beaten
into submission.
We know that the truth is on our side. We know that every credible
expert in the field of auction design and economics have declared the
CMS bid model to be fatally flawed and destined for failure. We cannot
rest until the United States Congress understands these same truths and
takes the necessary steps to fix this broken program.
Here’s
what you can do to help this week: Prepare yourself to communicate to
Congress effectively by attending preparatory Webinar.
When: July 17, 2013 at 2:45pm ET
Host: Jay Witter, vice president of government affairs, AAHomecare
Guest: Rep Glenn Thompson (R-PA)
Link: https://pams.ilinc.com/join/yhtctts
Dial-In Number: 1-309-944-9519* Passcode: 1216572
Participate in the AAHomecare Virtual Fly-in on Thursday, July 18, 2013.
Make
calling Congress your top priority and the top priority of all of your
employees that day. Urge everyone you know, including your
beneficiaries, to call their members of Congress.
Call: US Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121
Help
us to flood the phone lines. Ensure that your congressional
representatives and U.S. Senators are hearing about the issues taking
place right now in his/her district.
John Shirvinsky is executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of Medical Suppliers.