CQRC: ‘We are optimistic’ 

WASHINGTON – With limited time remaining in the 118th Congress, the Council of Quality Respiratory Care is thanking new supporters of the SOAR Act and calling on the rest of legislators to join them in restoring patient access to all supplemental oxygen modalities. 

The new co-sponsors of S. 3821 and H.R. 7829 are:  

• Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Gary Peters, D-Mich. 
• Reps. Julia Brownley, D-Calif., Donald G. Davis, D-N.C., Cliff Bentz, R-Oregon, Darren Soto, D-Fla., Jahana Hayes, D-Conn., Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., Deborah K. Ross, D-N.C., David J. Trone, D-Md., Alma S. Adams, D-N.C., Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-Washington, D.C., Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., Dean Phillips, D-Minn., Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Oregon, Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., Bill Posey, R-Fla., Michael Lawler, R-N.Y., and Juan  Ciscomani, R-Ariz. 

“We thank all Senate and House lawmakers who have cosponsored the SOAR Act and urge Congress to pass these measures for the nearly 1 million oxygen patients we deliver care to each year," said Jeff Barnhard, chair of the CQRC and CEO of Lincare. “We are optimistic that Congress will advance the SOAR Act through the appropriate committees and incorporate its vital reforms into policy before the year's end to ensure improved access to care for patients who need help breathing."   

S. 3821 now has four co-sponsors and H.R. 7829 has 20 co-sponsors. 

The SOAR Act would: 

• Remove supplemental oxygen from Medicare’s Competitive Bidding Program for durable medical equipment, 
• Ensure access to liquid oxygen for patients for whom it is medically necessary by establishing a separate payment system for liquid oxygen, 
• Permanently extend Medicare’s blended reimbursement rates, 
• Acknowledge and reimburse for essential respiratory therapy services, and 
• Require the use of a clinical template to eliminate the use of medical record notes to support patient access to supplemental oxygen. 

The CQRC is championing the bill with 30 stakeholders, including the American Lung Association (ALA), COPD Foundation, American Thoracic Society, American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC), the American College of CHEST Physicians, and Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation.