OMEPA racks up win

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – The Oklahoma Medical Equipment Providers Association (OMEPA) has succeeded in getting H.B.1712, the Patient’s Right of Choice Act, passed, reports VGM & Associates. The act was originally passed In April but was vetoed by Gov. Kevin Stitt. OMEPA’s board and key providers worked tirelessly with champions in the legislature to allow for a “veto override vote” on the last day prior to the end of the legislative session. “OMEPA owes much of their success to the strong relationships built with supportive state legislators over the years,” said John Gallagher, vice president of government relations for VGM. “The OMEPA group reports receiving a standing ovation this year in passing H.B.1712 from Senate legislators while they sat in the gallery right after the bill passed the Senate.” The act allows DMEPOS suppliers to adequately serve patients that have trouble accessing care in rural markets by allowing them to use an out-of-network supplier and still receive in-network benefits. OMEPA worked to pass the act in 2023, but at the end of the session, the act and more than 60 other bills were scrapped. The group worked with lobbyist Julia Jernigan Smith of Creative Capitol Strategies to connect with key players, including the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, the policy department and the governor’s office. Other recent legislative wins for OMEPA include H.B.1407 Sales Tax, which exempted durable medical equipment from state sales tax in Oklahoma in 2019 and H.B.2649, Oklahoma Durable Medical Equipment Licensing Act, in 2022.