OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Patient Access to Durable Medical Equipment Act of 2016

Floor Speech

Date: July 8, 2016
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Health and Health Care

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Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the House on the passage of H.R. 5210, which it passed this week. This legislation provides relief to durable medical equipment providers in competitively bid areas until October 1, 2017. Competitive bidding was created by the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003.

H.R. 5210 extends the current phase-in of competitively bid DME prices to noncompetitively bid areas. This is vital to ensure that Congress has enough time to monitor current phase-in of noncompetitively bid DME prices and their effect in rural areas.

In January of 2016, the competitive bidding program began its nationwide rollout, and, as a result, many areas, including rural areas, saw a significant cut in prices, which is now jeopardizing access to durable medical equipment for many beneficiaries.

The First Congressional District of Georgia has numerous durable medical device companies that provide services throughout all of southeast Georgia. With many parts of my district being rural communities, evidence suggests that the current structure of CMS' proposed pricing of DMEs would significantly harm these communities. That is why H.R. 5210 is so important.

I commend my Georgia colleague, Representative Price, for offering this bill, and I commend my House colleagues for passing this measure.

I encourage the Senate to begin consideration of this measure so rural beneficiaries in need of durable medical equipment are not unduly harmed by CMS' proposals.

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