WASHINGTON, D.C. – AAHomecare and ACMESA are working to advance legislation in Virginia that will set DME Medicaid rates at 100% of Medicare rural rates to help cover supplier costs and bring suppliers back to the market. Budget amendments (introduced by Delegate Emily Brewer and Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant) will strengthen Medicaid access and update the current methodology, which is to pay the lesser of 90% of Medicare regional carrier rates or Medicare competitive bidding rates, which in many cases are below current supplier costs.
Mobility and disability stakeholders in Virginia are also supporting an effort to authorize Medicaid coverage of CRT wheelchairs for patients residing in a nursing facility. Both of these initiatives have been covered by state media with the help of AAHomecare’s PR firm, Keybridge Communications, with extensive support from pediatric DME provider and AAH member Thrive Skilled Pediatric Care.
Coverage includes:
- Virginia must fund critical care to medically fragile children– op-ed by Melinda Phillips, president and CEO of Thrive Skilled Pediatric Care and Laura McGrath, founder of Our Special Lives ran in both the Richmond Times Dispatch and the Virginian-Pilot, the two largest-circulation papers in Virginia, on Feb. 4, 2023
- Virginia families seek state funding to afford medical supplies for children with disabilities(Virginian-Pilot – Feb. 4, 2023)
- As hospitals fill, some families are caring for their children at home. That’s creating a new challenge. (WTVR-TV Richmond – Feb. 2, 2023)
- Virginia faces critical shortage in at-home pediatric pulmonary care(Augusta Free Press – Jan. 30, 2023)
You can find contact information for Virginia state Senators and Delegates here. You can also send an email to your Virginia state legislators using our Voter Voice grassroots advocacy system. Pre-drafted messages on both initiatives are noted below; you can add your own perspectives and experiences to the letters – and also share them with your colleagues and other interested parties. Note: you must have a Virginia address to participate.
AAHomecare’s media campaign continues to generate coverage on both state and federal HME issues nationwide. You can see full details of coverage here.