Washington
Two congressmen are urging their fellow House members to sign a letter to HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt requesting that he modify Medicare's in-the-home requirement for coverage of mobility equipment. Reps. Charlie Bass, R-N.H., and Jim Langevin, D-R.I., began circulating the letter on behalf of the ITEM (Independence Through Enhancement of Medicare and Medicaid) Coalition.
In a letter explaining the policy to their colleagues, Reps. Bass and Langevin noted that perpetuation of the in-the-home restriction “runs counter to important goals established in the administration's New Freedom Initiative and legislation … which seeks to return people with disabilities back into the workforce and into communities.”
The letter to Leavitt says that if it is not possible to modify the restriction through the regulatory process, “we request that you respond with such information as quickly as possible so that Congress may begin examining legislative alternatives.”
