05/14/2024

Call-to-Action to Support Tomorrow's AAHomecare Legislative Meetings on Capitol Hill

OAMES representatives Josh Marx, AAHomecare Chair and CEO of Ohio-based Medical Service Company, and outgoing executive director Kam Yuricich, will be in Washington DC this week joining more than 60 AAHomecare Board and Council leaders on Capitol Hill to meet with approximately 140 House and Senate offices and make critical legislative asks on behalf of the HME community. 

Advocates will be discussing a range of issues, including Medicare reimbursement policy – specifically, the need to pass 75/25 relief legislation that has moved through House and Senate committees but was not included in recent Congressional spending bills.

Action needed! 

Calls and emails by OAMES members to healthcare staff for Ohio US Senators and Representatives this week, and especially tomorrow, May 15, will boost the impact of these in-person meetings on Capitol Hill.

The message is simple: Ask your Senators and Representatives to reach out to leadership in their respective chambers in support of extending the 75/25 Medicare blended rates for DME in non-rural areas through 2024 as soon as possible.  You should emphasize that cuts have already taken effect and share how they are impacting your ability to support your patients. 

Key points and helpful resources:

• For Senator Sherrod Brown and Senator JD Vance, you can note that this relief was included in S. 1294, which passed the Senate Finance Committee by a unanimous vote on Nov. 8. **Sen. Brown is a member of this committee therefore would have voted in support of this bill.
• For House members, you can share that these provisions were part of HR 5555, which was approved by the Energy & Commerce Committee by voice vote on Dec. 6. **Ohio legislators on this committee include Rep. Bob Latta (R - District 5) and Rep. Troy Balderson (R - District 12).
• Additional AAHomecare materials and messaging points can be found here.
• You can also encourage your co-workers and colleagues to send a pre-drafted message through AAHomecare’s Voter Voice Those messages don’t have the impact of a direct call or email to Capitol Hill, but they do help convey support on the issue. 

Feel free to contact Gordon Barnes at AAHomecare, gordonb@aahomecare.org, or Kam Yuricich at OAMES, kam@oames.org, for any other assistance you need in developing and delivering your message.