WASHINGTON—AAHomecare’s lobbying team and other home medical equipment (HME) stakeholders remain engaged in advocating for including extended 75/25 blended-rate relief among health care provisions in government spending packages needed in advance of March 1 and March 8 funding deadlines. HHS funding is subject to the March 8 deadline.
In a recent message to American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) board/council members, grassroots accountability program participants and individuals who joined virtual legislative events in 2023, AAHomecare President & CEO Tom Ryan asked leaders in the industry to:
"Make a direct request, by email and/or phone call, to health care staffers for your senators and representatives. Ask that the Senator/Representative reach out to leadership in their respective chambers in support of including DMEPOS relief in nonrural areas among health care provisions in the next government funding legislative package."
Additional language and messaging guidance for contacting your legislators can be found here.
Advocates can also note that cuts have already taken effect and share how they are impacting the ability to support patients. AAHomecare noted you can bolster your arguments with figures from this analysis of the cuts across 25 major HCPCS codes in your emails and calls (specifically using the figures from the far right column: 2024 v 2023 nonrural rates).
Reach out to Gordon Barnes at gordonb@aahomecare.org for health care staff contact information and any other assistance needed in crafting and delivering a message.
HME advocates can also add to the 5,000+ messages sent in support of extending the 75/25 relief using AAHomecare's Voter Voice advocacy tool. Edit the pre-drafted letter to include more details about your company and patients, as well as how the disconnect between current reimbursement rates and rising product and operational costs are affecting your business and your patients.
"Your determined grassroots advocacy has brought us to the doorstep of achieving substantial relief for HME and is directly supporting our current round-the-clock lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill," Ryan said to AAHomecare leaders. "Let’s kick the door down over these next two weeks and bring home a major win for HME."
