Rep. Price drops MPP bill

WASHINGTON - Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., on April 24 reintroduced a bill to replace competitive bidding with the HME industry's market-pricing program (MPP).

Out of the gate, H.R. 1717 has 25 co-sponsors—nearly double the 13 co-cosponsors the previous bill had when it was introduced in September. That bill eventually gained 94 co-sponsors.

The second phase of competitive bidding is set to kick off July 1 in 91 cities. Single payment amounts for Round 2, announced Jan. 30, are, on average, 45% below the current fee schedule.

Stakeholders say the HME industry needs to work quickly to get more members of Congress to co-sponsor the bill. Although it could proceed as a standalone, it's more likely to get attached to a larger bill, they say.

“Time is of the essence,” stated NAIMES in a bulletin. “We must gain 219 co-sponsors as quickly as possible. This is the path to stop the bidding program that will devastate our industry.”

The current roster of 25 co-sponsors includes 21 Republicans and four Democrats:

Barletta, Lou [R-PA11]

Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN7]

Braley, Bruce [D-IA1]

Capito, Shelley [R-WV2]

Chabot, Steve [R-OH1]

Crenshaw, Ander [R-FL4]

DesJarlais, Scott [R-TN4]

Fortenberry, Jeff [R-NE1]

Grimm, Michael [R-NY11]

Harper, Gregg [R-MS3]

Johnson, Bill [R-OH6]

Joyce, David [R-OH14]

King, Peter “Pete” [R-NY2]

Lankford, James [R-OK5]

Larson, John [D-CT1]

Loebsack, David [D-IA2]

Marino, Tom [R-PA10]

McKinley, David [R-WV1]

Nunnelee, Alan [R-MS1]

Posey, Bill [R-FL8]

Roe, David [R-TN1]

Ryan, Tim [D-OH13]

Scott, Austin [R-GA8]

Thompson, Glenn [R-PA5]

Tiberi, Patrick “Pat” [R-OH12]