WASHINGTON--The Hobson-Tanner Bill is now up to 101 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives, enough to introduce a Senate companion bill, observers say.

The bill, officially known as H.R. 3559, was introduced in the House last summer in an effort to soften the blow of DME competitive bidding (see HomeCare Monday, Aug. 1, 2005).

"Our goal is to ensure that the Hobson-Tanner Bill becomes law because it is in the best interest of all HME, mobility and rehab providers," said Scott Meuser, CEO of Pride Mobility Products, Exeter, Pa. In conjunction with the American Association for Homecare and state associations, the company has conducted more than 225 meetings in 35 states to educate legislators on the measure, the manufacturer said.

But Washington insiders say topping the 100 co-sponsor mark and getting a companion bill in the Senate is only half the battle--at least 200 co-sponsors in the House will be needed to get the proposed legislation passed.

The text of H.R. 3559 is available at http://thomas.loc.gov.

To find out whether your state's representatives have signed on, visit www.aahomecare.org for a list of current co-sponsors.