Patient Stories

Healthcare professionals reveal critical access to care problems for Medicare patients due to Competitive Bidding for Home Medical Equipment (HME), services, and supplies. Congress and the Administration must act quickly to stabilize and strengthen the HME benefit and protect seniors and people with disabilities who rely on it to safely maintain their independence at home.

As previously reported at People for Quality Care, Medicare has been cutting funding for essential home medical equipment to dangerously low rates that make it harder for people with Medicare to get items like walkers, wheelchairs, oxygen therapy, CPAPs & supplies, and more. For people who rely on home oxygen therapy, the situation has gotten even worse. On January 1, 2017, Medicare further slashed funding for vital home oxygen therapy for Medicare patients who rely on stationary oxygen concentrators. 

With the holidays upon us, millions of Americans are gathering together to be with family and loved ones.  It’s the most wonderful time of the year for a reason as people congregate and celebrate the season, religious observances, and what’s to come in the new year.  There’s no place like home for the holidays, and homecare plays an important role in uniting families enabling people to participate in holiday festivities. I’ll be Home for Christmas Perhaps

The election is officially over and we have many changes on the way. Whether you are content with results or disappointed, one fact stands resolute – our work is far from finished.  There are millions of Americans who rely on access to quality home medical equipment and as it stands their access is being threatened by Medicare’s funding cuts. They are people like Jueldia Smith  Jueldia Smith lives in rural Montana and requires enteral supplies

On July 1, Medicare cut funding for medical equipment by upwards of 50-80 percent. The consequences have severely impacted people with disabilities and chronic conditions who rely on medical equipment. Caseworkers and homecare providers are also feeling the effects of the cuts. The stories below have been collected by People for Quality Care and showcase the wide range of stakeholders whose daily living and ability to service patients has been limited as consequence of these drastic reductions in

Alabama, retiree Ken K. keeps busy as a minister for his local community church.  For the past 6 years, Ken and his wife have benefited from sleep apnea treatment, each using a CPAP at night to help manage their sleep disorders and prevent low blood oxygen levels, hypertension, heart disease, and other serious problems that can occur if left untreated. Ken recently contacted People for Quality Care after learning about some concerning Medicare changes that affect his community’s ability

Jane Zajac shares how Medicare’s reimbursement cuts to equipment have limited her oxygen supply in emergency situations. This letter was sent to Connecticut Congressional members. Please read. To Whom This May Concern, I received a letter  from my durable medical equipment provider, (DME), stating they will no longer be providing unlimited free oxygen in power outages of any type because of environmental conditions that are beyond their control and no reimbursement is available

Millions of seniors and people with disabilities rely on medical equipment to live safely in their homes. Unfortunately, government policies have created many burdens for these individuals trying to receive medically necessary equipment, services, and supplies. A controversial, new program is sweeping the nation, detrimentally affecting Medicare patients who rely on Home Medical Equipment such as oxygen therapy, wheelchairs, and walkers. Tell your elected officials that you need

This 3-part series explores the impact of Medicare audits on homecare recipients and providers. When it comes to providing care for her aging parents, Sandra De La Cruz is no stranger to it. She joins 43.5 million Americans caring for parents over the age of 50. Once or twice a month, she travels to Austin, Texas, where her parents, Roberto and Nora De La Cruz, reside. She stays four days to a week each time. She has been doing this since 2012 and shares the role with her sisters. “Caregiving