Everyone is talking about competitive bidding, but not me.

Everywhere I turned this week,  people were talking about competitive bidding, but you won't hear a peep out of me. Not today.

A provider sent me an email a few days ago that included the following paragraph about competitive bidding:

"Despite years of effort by the industry to derail competitive bidding, the flawed program has been implemented in the first nine markets. And implementation of the program will begin in an additional 91 markets in the next six months. Some in the HME industry predict the program will fail in the first nine markets. Unfortunately, I believe those people are wrong."

Here! Here! Good for you, old chap. You may have a point. But I absolutely refuse to comment, and you'll find out why soon enough. But no matter. Like I said, plenty of people want to talk about competitive bidding.

You sound skeptical. You want more proof? Okay. I just had a phone call with another provider who told me:

"It's time that this blows up in their lap. Unfortunately, there are a whole bunch of colleagues that are saying goodbye to employees today, and there are a lot of patients who will be shuffled around and abused, but unfortunately now the proof is in the pudding. When it falls apart and explodes in their face, CMS is going to say, 'You guys were telling the truth.'"

I love the truth. The truth sets us free. But a delicate soul accused me recently of writing things of "poor taste." Another scolded: "You are not very funny at all, mister!" That is not why I refuse to talk about competitive bidding today. I am not gun shy. But really, who needs me when just a while ago someone told HME News Editor Liz Beaulieu that with competitive bidding "CMS has turned the industry into a nightmare."

I hate nightmares. I wish everyone sweet dreams.

But I can't talk about competitive bidding today.

I've got a sore throat.

Have a very Happy New Year.

Mike Moran