Stakeholders check boxes in DC

WASHINGTON – With complex rehab stakeholders preparing to make not one but two runs to Washington, D.C., in September, Seth Johnson provides an explainer on what the political climate is and how the industry will try to advance its priorities. 

At the top of those priorities: H.R. 5371, a bill to improve access to titanium and carbon fiber manual wheelchairs. 

“The way the bill is set up, there shouldn’t be an additional cost (to passing it),” said Johnson, who is senior vice president of government affairs for Pride Mobility Products and Quantum Rehab and who is involved in the leadership of both AAHomecare and NCART. “We’re just giving consumers the ability to pay out of pocket for the difference that’s above and beyond what Medicare pays for the K0005, rather than them having pay upfront for the entire chair. It’s hundreds of dollars difference, in terms of the impact on the consumer, and it will, ultimately, greatly increase access.” 

AAHomecare will host a legislative day on Sept. 9-10, and NCART and U.S. Rehab will host a legislative day on Sept. 24. 

HME News: What’s the latest status of the bill? 

Seth Johnson: We’re hearing that legislators are supportive, but we haven’t seen that with the co-sponsor count (At press time, H.R. 5371 had three co-sponsors). It’s a bi-partisan bill, which is good, and we know it has moved through the House committee process, which is important. As we look for vehicles for the bill, leadership and committee chairs have said that anything that is going to be attached must go through regular order. We’re comfortable checking that off the list. 

HME: Are stakeholders trying to get a companion bill introduced in the Senate? 

Johnson: There’s a Democrat and a Republican in the Senate who are very interested in moving forward on (a companion bill), and we’re working with one of them and their staff to get the official approval. 

HME: So ahead of the legislative days in September, the goal is ramping up the cosponsors for, hopefully, two bills? 

Johnson: Absolutely, the more we can do to quantify that level of support the better. 

HME: What larger bills might be potential vehicles for H.R. 5371? 

Johnson: There is a health care package that is being talked about in both the House and Senate. Whether a health care package is passed separately or as part of a much larger government spending bill at the end of the year, we don’t know at this point. But those fly-ins are all about doing our best to get a seat at the table. 

HME: What other priorities will be in the mix on the legislative days? 

Johnson: The need to extend telehealth flexibility will certainly be an issue that is brought up in meetings. Also, the need for CRT-specific payment relief will be an issue brought up during the NCART fly-in. We need to continue to feed the narrative that the cost of everything has increased and the CPI increases are inadequate to cover all of those increases.