Lymphedema Treatment Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3630, the Lymphedema Treatment Act, introduced by my friend and fellow Committee on Energy and Commerce member Jan Schakowsky, as well as the Subcommittee on Health member Buddy Carter, along with myself and more than 350 Members on both sides of the aisle.

This legislation would create a new Medicare benefit category, lymphedema compression treatment items, including standard and custom- fitted garments, and other items determined by HHS, for treatment of lymphedema.

As many of us know, thanks to a passionate and committed group of patient stakeholders, lymphedema is a chronic condition that may cause significant swelling and discomfort. It is often located in the arms and legs but can also occur in other parts of the body.

Unfortunately, there is no cure today for this condition, but patients are able to receive care that can mitigate some of the symptoms caused by lymphedema. One of the most basic elements of care is the application of compression garments to swollen body parts.

As it stands today, fee-for-service Medicare covers various forms of treatment for lymphedema but does not cover the basic compression supplies typically used in the regular treatment for this condition. This is a result of the outdated structure of traditional fee-for- service Medicare, which does not have an existing benefit category that works for lymphedema compression garments.

This legislation is yet another reminder that the fee-for-service Medicare as structured today under part B simply cannot keep pace with medical innovation. Private payers, including Medicare Advantage plans, have more flexibility to provide coverage for these products, especially if they add value to the care patients need.

As the popularity of Medicare Advantage demonstrates, there is a built-in incentive to provide better value for patients, meaning better outcomes and lower costs. It has been proven.

It has been discouraging to see an ever-growing number of situations where a particular drug--for instance, an entire class of Alzheimer's drugs recently restricted by CMS--or other medical products are not covered for seniors in Medicare fee-for-service when other patients in the private market, or even in Medicare Advantage, may have them covered.

I am hopeful that bills like the one that we are here to discuss today, where Congress continues to patch the inefficiencies in the Medicare program, not only benefit seniors but also help all of us recognize that seniors deserve greater Medicare reforms. Those reforms should empower patients with greater control over their healthcare decisions and more ability to tailor their health benefits to their personal needs, all with the goal of no senior being denied or having to lobby Congress to get the medical products they need. It makes sense.

Finally, I am encouraged to see that the new mandatory spending in this legislation will be fully offset, and I encourage my colleagues to continue to insist that we fully offset mandatory spending now and into the future. This is responsible. It is responsible legislating.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the sponsors for this bill, H.R. 3630, and the chairman, of course, and the ranking member of the full committee. I fully support this legislation and recommend a ``yes'' vote on final passage.

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Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, this is a real good bill, a bipartisan bill. We worked very hard on it, and we have a great sponsor here and a Republican sponsor in Representative Buddy Carter, and I urge that we pass this as soon as possible. I assume the Senate will get to work and get this done, as well.

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