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H.R. 6252, The Medicare DMEPOS Competitive Acquisition Reform Act of 2008
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Visitor Comments
DL
Seniors would have started to save money on their co-payments on 2 weeks. Now that's dragged out for another year, why? Because Stark catered to industry lobbies?
AWP
Obviously "DL" doesn't understand the severe, detrimental consequences of NCB. This program threatens beneficiary access and quality of care and products, is devastating to the local, small business providers, and is opposed by dozens of our nation's leading health care advocacy groups. Homecare is part of the solution to our nation's growing health care crisis, and the costs will be insurmountable without this important safeguard to keep the costs of institutional care in check. HME plays an important role in keeping people at home, active in their communities, and with their loved ones. CMS' program is fundamentally flawed and must be revised.
RS
Maybe we should set DL's grandparents up with the lowest bidder for all their home medical needs, and see how well their needs are met. It's not just the cost of the product, but the cost of the services that they provide.
RR
Yes, the immediate "cost reduction" would be a benefit, but the long range competitive bidding plan would create less competition and higher pricing. Financial pressures on the winning bidders will result in reductions of support services and substitue products with lower quality that have been historically been offered to Medicare beneficiaries.
LB
The competitive bid program as medicare defines it has been called "No Patient Left Alive" - and for good reason.
Bottom line, this bill is absolutely devastating to patients who rely on medical equipment to keep them out of our hospitals. If you or a loved one was receiving oxygen from a trusted source and had medicare tell you you have to find another provider who may not even be located in your city, you'd be pretty upset (IF you survived the govt mandated repossession of your oxygen AND could find a reliable source that the govt approves of.)
Oh, and it's very harmful to small business DME companies. It could cause a majority of them to close their doors for good. It's anti-american, anti-patient, and that's why WE MUST SUPPORT HR 6252!!
LB
Regarding above comment, I should have said that "competitive bidding is devastating...." not "this bill". I do support this bill!
FURIOUS
NCB :NOBODY CARES BROTHER
THAT IS WHAT IT MEANS!!!!!!!!!
MEDICARE IS TELLING THE PATIENTS THAT THEY WILL SAVE THE MONEY ON CO-PAYS
BUT DOES NOT PROVIDE THE REAL PICTURE OF SERVICE QUALITY OF CARE ACCESS TO MORE THAN TWO PROVIDERS
IN PALM BEACH COUNTY THERE ARE TWO
PROVIDERS ONLY FOR WALKERS GOODLUCK GETTING IT ON TIME.
OUT OF THE TWO ONE HAS NEVER EVEN SUPPLIED ONE WALKER TO A PATIENT ON MEDICARE
MIGHT AS WELL HAVE A CHINESE COMPNAY HAVE IT DELIVERED DIRECT TO THE PATIENT AND GET PAID.
SS
The facts of Competitive Bidding: Of the 10 awarded contracts for complex rehab products and services in one of the MSA's, 3 of the winners are pharmacies, 2 of them do not do Medicare (not sure how they got the bid,,??), one is up for sale and knows having won the bid it will increase the selling price, one is The Scooter Store, one hasn’t done a rehab chair in over a year, and one is actually an ok rehab provider.
china dme
You wan waka?
joy luck waka
it's good and bad. great that they will delay the program, but a crummy concession - not so much the 9% cut, but the re-bid in 18 mo. i wish they could have done away with the program. is the next bid really going to be any different? maybe cms will ditch the cbic, that would be nice. they're web site sucked. the waka is f'n funny.
jb
I have been in the homecare market either rt, salesman etc; for almost 40 years. If the competitive bidding process is allowed this country will keep going downhill. People who have won the bids aren't even in the bidding area and many of them have never even sold or serviced the equipment they will be supplying. How on earth could these people possibly take care of these individuals. The future of healthcare as we know relies on competitive bidding either stopped or revamped to put everyone on an even playing field. This is the biggest faux paux in this country's history as far as healthcare is concerned. God help us if free healthcare is passed also. We will be living with socialized medicine like it or not. Be sure you think about this when you vote again. Your family's welfare will rely on it.
MD
Hopefully within the 18 month delay all the investigations into bid handling misconduct and fabrication of median pricing is disclosed and Kerry Weems and crew will go to jail for alot longer time and the whole bidding concept will go away. I can deal with the 9.5% reduction, it sure beats the alternative.
JT
If this bill does not pass the bidding will eventually close this business, and 12 people will be out of work. Thats just the type of legislation we do not need now. Support this bill
PD
Re: joy luck waka and MD
Yes, with an 18month delay, we should see an overall scrap of the program. The last time I checked, if I were going to get a bid to build a fence, it went to the lowest bidder with the highest quality product. In the NCB case, it goes to whomever paid Weems the most money(i.e. the Scooter Store getting an oxygen contract). That's what I want, my mother to have oxygen provided by a company that has never provided oxygen before. I might as well go to a steak house and ask if they can sell me a car. Not to mention, if the government was looking save money, just cut the reimbursement. They have been doing that very well for the last 8 years. Comeptitve bidding makes no sense if CMS already controls reimbursement amounts!!!! Remember the days of $400 a month reimbursement for concentrators? At least then we could afford to service our patients! God help our nation, our political leaders, and our future!
SS
Amen brothers and sisters! SUpport!
DLB
What will happen to the beneficiaries rights to choose? The elderly have enough to worry about this would be another step in the WRONG direction should the REFORM ACT OF 2008 NOT PASS.
DLB
If Medicare wants to save money, why can't they just lower the allowed amouts for each item. Seems to me this would be less confusing and much less burden for the beneficiaries.
MD
RE: DLB
That would have been too easy and just think of the money that would have been saved if they didnt have to create the CBIC (from the ex Palmetto GBA) who lost their bid contract to Cigna. A couple percentage points reduction across the board would have saved Millions$$$$$, instead we have spent millions trying to comply with CBIC requirements. And oh by the way, still disqualified because I was missing (allegedly) financial documentation. They couldnt tell me which ones though. How convienent. (for them)
RC
Please vote yes to H.R. 6252 and stop the 36-month oxygen cap. M.G.R. HOMECARE, INC. of Griffin, GA has provided home medical equipment for its patients since 1979. With the 36-month cap, 50 percent of our patients are slated to cap-out and be left with no one monitoring and measuring the equipment oxygen purity, periodic maintenance, patient compliance for prescribed liter flow and the general well being of the patient. One of the patients who will cap-out has been on our service 16 years. Community based small business is the life-blood of our country. Competitive bidding is just a totally anti-American business model. Patients must have a choice to keep quality of healthcare in tact. Thank you for your yes vote to H.R. 6252 and your influence for stopping the 36 month oxygen cap today.
PA
Consider this: If the "Administrative Costs" of healthcare (as categorized by CMS) only rose by 47% from 2000 to 2005, rather than the actual 76% by which it did increase, then 24 billion dollars would have been saved. That 24 billion is equal to 100% of the total Durable Medical Products (DME) spend in 2005. If the Administrative Costs category performed at least as efficiently as the DME category, which only rose by 24% in the same time frame, then the savings would have been 42 billion. That is almost double the entire DME spend in 2005. If the same exercise were performed on any of the top three spending categories, the results would be stagaring. Note: "Administrative Costs" is only the 4th highest ranking category!!!
SH
Wow, everyone should be so angry at this bill it's unbelievable that someone could support it.
Why can't we have reductions in costs for DME or Physician Services? My mom for the first time in her life needs me to help pay her bills - a 30% decrease in DME is a good thing and 10% for Physicians. I don't think her doctor or the large corporations like Invacare sponsoring this bill and paying off Stark, et-al. Are huring too much. If you don't believe me - check the manufacturer of that walker you have - it's China, that's where they all get there equipment to make more money and rip-off our seniors and taxpayers.
Get rid of this bill - it's a boost to large corporations just like everything else in the last 7.5 years!
jb
Seems like SH has never been in the home health market. No one realizes it costs over $50.00 just to rocess the order. Not knowing if Medicare will approve or not. SH why don't you accept $45.00 reimbursement for a walker and see how long you will be in business. When you have to deliver it, own a delivery van, pay a delivery person, rising fuel costs and also pay your vendor for the product. This bill will be catastrophic not only to businesses, employees, most of all the patients who need supplies and equipment. There is much more to this than you realize. This will ruin the little man's future and make big corporations even bigger.
RE: SH
The reason we are so angry with this bill is that it isn't the providers that get hurt. Its the small business people like myself who got disqualified for no reason and cannot provide medical equipment. At this time, as well, we cannot hardly afford to service someone on oxygen, or deliver a walker to someone because of reimbursement cuts and gas prices. So, look past the "forest" of the big corporations. They get paid no matter what. They are standing up for the small, rural business that will have to close their doors because of a flawed system. Not to mention, there is a stipulation that your mom can file a hardship if she has problems paying her bills.
FURIOUS
RE: SH
WE ARE AGAINST THE NATIONAL BIDDING!
WE AS A PROVIDERS SUPPORT THE BILL, WE DO NOT APPROVE OF THE WAY THE BIDDING IS BEING HANDLED BY THE CMS& THEIR GESTAPO'S, THEY CHANGE THE RULES/PROVISIONS OF THE BIDDING AS THEY PLEASE NO NOTIFICATION AT ALL.
HOW COME THEY CAN NOT APPROVE THE CUTS TO THE DOCTORS 10% OR SO
WHICH IS IN THE PIPELINE BUT NEVER GETS PASSED BY THE CONGRESS.
BUT THEY CAN REDUCE THE PAYMENT FOR DIABETIC TESTING SUPPLIES BY 46%.
GINGER
YOU TEST YOUR BLOOD SUGAR WITH GENERIC, IMPORTED UNRELIABLE TEST STRIPS AND SEE HOW FAST YOU'LL END UP IN THE HOSPITAL. OH, BY THE WAY, MEDICARE HAS TO PAY FOR YOUR HOSPITAL STAY, ALSO. JUST REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF MEDICARE'S ALLOWABLE AND GET RID OF COMPETITIVE BIDDING. EVERYONE GETS HURT!
ZZOOKEY
The bidders who won are not the bad guys. We are the ones who have spent hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars preparing. I am a local provider in a local area who has provided DME for the last 30 years. There are many of us out here. We just have not had time to lobby because we are preparing for 7-1-08. SUPPORT COMPETITIVE BIDDING. We all have past numerous accredatations, licenses, etc. We are not the bad guys.
janice morgan
THIS BILL SUCKS AND MOST NORMAL PEOPLE KNOWIT!!!!! SOME OF YOU PEOPLE IN HIGH PLACES ARE
GOING TO REAP WHAT YOU SEW,BELIEVE ME,GOD IS IN C.O.N.T.R.O.L. THIS BILL SHALL NOT PASS,I'M 71 YEARS OLD AND I NEED THE MONEY NOW NOT 18 MONTHS DOWN THE ROAD,I'LL SHOUT IT FROM THE HILLTOPS!! DO NOT PASS THIS BILL!!!!!!!!1
DT
"DL", "DL" You and Medicare overlook the costs of the unintended consequences of NCB. The treatment that I provide as a "DME Provider" saves Medicare so much money. I keep people out of hospitals, by preventing wounds, amputations, and other surgeries. I keep people out of nursing homes. I am certain that my outcomes pay Medicare $3 for every $1 of reimbursement that they pay my company. I only ask that they not take away my access to patients and vice versa. I am not asking for a raise. Just please do not deny access to the functional, positional, and medical outcomes and all of the cost savings that are tied to them for the Medicare beneficiaries that I have the honor to treat.
JLD
Janice, The supplier you have now may or may not be able to service you after July 1. Your services may come from another city, or even another state. Will you be receiving quality care from someone who isn't able be there when you need them? What will happed when your oxygen concentrator alarms in the middle of the night? Some of the contracts were awarded to suppliers in categories that they have never done before. Are you going to trust equipment supplied to you by someone who has no idea what they are doing? Loss of quality patient care is a stake here, just as much as the loss of quality providers. These are just a few points to be made. I urge you (and your friends) to spend some time with your local provider and see just what it is they do to provide you, your family, neighbors and friends with QUALITY health care equipment. Maybe looking at both sides of the coin will help everyone understand why this bill must pass!
BW
There are many local providers who WON the bidding process. Many have spent countless hours and hired people to prepare for July 1st. What should happen to those workers? I guess they shouldn't have jobs? No one ever thinks of the consequences that cancelling the contracts the companies who won the bid would do. They are going to reduce Medicare payments on way or another. To delay bidding now would create a bigger mess than before! THIS BILL MUST NOT PASS!
jb
DL do you know what you are talking about.Evidently not people are winning bids who have never even sold or serviced the bids they won. Scooter Store won oxygen bids and have never even sold or serviced the equipment. That would be like going to the doctor and asking him to service your car. Find out more of what you are saying. Then you will understand this bill is going to devastate thousands of small businesses in this country.
VML
BW - NOT ONE OF MY "LOCAL" SUPPLIERS WON A CONTRACT. IF THIS BILL DOES NOT PASS, I WILL NEED TO CHANGE TO A SUPPLIER 75 MILES AWAY. IS THAT FAIR? THEY CAN MAIL MY RESPIRATORY SUPPLIES TO ME BUT WILL NOT COME TO SERVICE MY EQUIPMENT UNLESS IT'S AN EMERGENCY, THEN I NEED TO GO TO THE ER BECAUSE THEY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GET TO MY HOME IN A TIMELY MANNER. THIS IS REALLY SAVING MEDICARE MONEY!!
AJ
The suppliers who lost screwed up, period. They lacked the financials to get into the program. They didn't lose any documents, they simply used a standard phrase to reject what didn't quality. CMS also said most of those bids were too high anyway.
Those same suppliers spent their time complaining to congress for another chance to get it right.
Every winning provider is accredited. That's not true for most of the suppliers now. Every winner has far stricter quality standards because of it.
You're all compmlaining because you lost your large margins, and can't run a business as effeciently as the winners.
It's simply sour grapes.
To add insult to injury the losing providers want to keep the patients from saving 26% on their co-insurance so they can get another change to bid? That's just horrible.
You lost, get over it.
DLB
How would you like liquid oxygen, a concentrator or any type of resp. equipment delivered by a provider who won the bid that deals in scooters???
How is that fair to our patients???
AJ
If the scooter provider is accredited to deliver liquid oxygen, I would be happy to let them handle it.
Should I instead trust an un-accredited provider just because they have been doing it for years?
You can't let a name fool you.