Speak and You Shall Be Heard: A Plea to Medicare

For far too many Medicare beneficiaries, the struggle to access necessary home medical equipment and supplies has become an everyday way of life. Local companies are closing or restricting their service areas. Medically necessary equipment like home oxygen therapy, hospital beds, and wheelchairs are harder to find. Individuals are forced to go without or forgo their Medicare benefit to pay out of pocket to get what they need.

Thanks to the overwhelming public outcry, the message is starting to get through to Medicare. Last month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed a rule acknowledging the issues with their competitive bidding program and recommended changes to help preserve patient access and prevent the program from collapsing under its own bureaucratic weight.

While this is a step in the right direction, more work needs to be done to ensure that individuals across America can access the products and services they need to live safely at home.

People are struggling on a daily basis under the flawed program, and we need to turn up the pressure for Medicare to make the meaningful changes the program so desperately needs.

Contact your member of Congress to co-sponsor H.R. 4229, the Protecting Home Access Act!

Not only will this bill provide relief for those currently needing home medical equipment—it also sends a clear message to Medicare that our elected officials stand with us in supporting needed changes to protect patient access for the long haul.