Source: AAHomecare Alert 1/19/2024
The House of Representatives passed a short-term spending bill Thursday to keep the government funded until the beginning of March, buying lawmakers more time to finish the formal appropriations process. This stop-gap legislation does not include various healthcare extender measures, including our provision to continue the 75/25 blended rate for Medicare reimbursement in non-rural areas.
We are continuing to work with our champions, as well as influential legislators and committee staff, to pass our legislation in the next funding package, which would need to be passed by March 1, and are emphasizing to members of the House and Senate that the cuts have now gone into effect and are impacting suppliers. As currently structured, the funding bills for different government agencies would need approval by March 1 and March 8.
We need to remain engaged and keep the volume up on extending the 75/25 rates through 2024. The impacts of losing this relief will be keenly felt by a large segment of the supplier community, and we must communicate the urgency of restoring the 75/25 blended rate to legislators.
In discussions with Congressional offices, our lobbyists report that legislators and staff continue to hear from our industry and that this grassroots advocacy makes a difference. Please follow up with your legislators next week to share the urgency of ensuring this relief is part of the next funding package.
You can find data on the specific cuts for highly utilized products in your region to share with legislators in our analysis rural and non-rural rates in this spreadsheet (select Full Analysis tab at bottom and note column J; 2024 v 2023 Non-Rural Rate). More perspective is available in our Dec. 27 rate analysis alert, showing an average cut of 20.1% across top product categories in non-rural areas.
Reach out to Gordon Barnes at gordonb@aahomecare.org 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; we’ve updated the draft text to reflect the current state of the budget legislation. You are encouraged to 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.
Jan. 19, 2024