WASHINGTON--Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Kent Conrad, D-N.D., have introduced a companion to the Hobson-Tanner bill in the Senate.

The bill, the Medicare Durable Medical Equipment Access Act (S. 3920), would help ease the effects of Medicare DME competitive bidding for small providers. The text of the bill is identical to that of the Hobson-Tanner bill (H.R. 3559), which has gathered 145 co-sponsors in the House since it was introduced last summer (see HomeCare, September 2005).

In his introductory comments, Hatch said the bill is important to preserve access to home care in rural areas and allow small businesses to participate in Medicare.

"Any provider not awarded a contract would be prohibited from participating in Medicare for up to three years," Hatch said. "This bill would allow applicable small businesses that did not receive a contract to continue to provide durable medical equipment in Medicare at the competitive acquisition bid rate."

Hatch said that conversations with home care providers in Utah, who expressed concerns about their ability to stay in business and continue to provide customers with a high quality of service, helped convince him to co-sponsor the legislation. "I strongly urge my colleagues to talk to their constituents back home who own small durable medical equipment companies," he said. "I urge my colleagues to co-sponsor this legislation so that Medicare beneficiaries will continue to receive quality care at affordable prices for their medical supplies."

Conrad also said he was responding to concerns he had heard from seniors and suppliers in North Dakota. "These provisions are small steps, but they will ensure that beneficiaries in rural areas have access to the medical equipment they need.

"While we should pursue options for making the Medicare program more efficient, we must also protect access to care," he continued. "I believe this bill achieves the appropriate balance between these two goals."

One of the Utah providers who worked with Hatch on the bill, Jay Broadbent, president of Salt Lake City-based Alpine Home Medical, said he was excited about the introduction of the companion legislation. "Senator Hatch has always been a friend to the home health industry," he said. "He has a sound understanding of how home medical equipment is part of the solution to the nation's health care problems."

To read the text of the bill, visit http://thomas.loc.gov.

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