On March 16, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on and passed H.R. 284, legislation to ban non-binding bids and require proof of licensure for Medicare contract auctions.
Before the vote, Chairman Ryan (R-WI), Representative Tiberi (R-OH) and Representative Linda Sanchez (D-CA), who spoke on behalf of Representative Larson (D-CT), showed their support for fixing this major flaw in the competitive bidding program. Watch the video of the proceedings and listen for the quotes below.
Chairman Ryan (R-WI)
“…this is what we are supposed to do here, we’re legislating a solution to make sure that senior citizens have access to the highest quality, lowest price medical equipment and there is a flaw in the law in how that is being done, and this bill rectifies that…”
Representative Tiberi (R-OH)
“…I’ve heard from seniors, beneficiaries, small business suppliers in my state of Ohio that the program is impeding access to needed items for seniors…and ultimately harming their health…this is absolutely unacceptable…”
Representative Linda Sanchez (D-CA) spoke on behalf of Representative Larson.
“… I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 284, it is a common sense solution that will save money in the long run…”
OAMES would like to thank Rep. Tiberi for his leadership over the past several years working on this issue. He continues to fight hard for the Medicare beneficiaries and providers of home medical equipment services and we are grateful for his on-going support to ensure access to these important homecare services.