Omnibus bill moves forward without H.R. 4229
By HME News Staff
Updated Thu March 22, 2018
WASHINGTON - Despite support from key committees of jurisdiction in Congress, the omnibus bill does not contain language providing relief from Medicare's competitive bidding program.
The bill does, however, contain language referring to a bid-related interim final rule that has been stuck at the Office of Management and Budget since August. It states:
The agreement encourages CMS to promulgate the pending Interim Final Rule entitled "Durable Medical Equipment Fee Schedule, Adjustments to Resume the Transitional 50/50 Blended Rates to Provide Relief in Non-Competitive Bidding Areas."
“While we are gratified to see that Congress is again asking federal officials to move the IFR forward, we are also concerned that leaders in the House and Senate have missed this opportunity to provide much-needed relief for home medical equipment providers and patients, especially those in rural America, by failing to include provisions from H.R. 4229,” said Tom Ryan, president and CEO of AAHomecare.
Stakeholders had made a hard press in recent weeks to get H.R. 4229 included in the omnibus bill, including meeting with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
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