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News
2/12/2012
NAIMES Launches Virtual Capitol Hill Conference
NAIMES Launches A Virtual Capitol Hill Conference To Support The AAHomecare Washington Conference!
If You Can't Be In DC, The Next Most Powerful Action Is To Call Your Representative and Senators.
AAHomecare is holding their annual Washington Legislative Conference on February 14-16, 2012. NAIMES has been actively encouraging all suppliers to attend the conference if it's possible.
But not being there doesn't mean you can participate. NAIMES is calling on all suppliers to participate in a virtual Capitol Hill Conference by making phone calls to your Representative and Senators on February 16th, while those going to the conference will be walking the halls of Congress.
This will serve as an alert Congress to the ills of Competitive Bidding. The bullet points below include outcomes realized from experiences in Round 1 CBAs. They are offered as suggestive comments for your call to Congress, but please feel free to add your own concerns.
Every call will make a greater difference than the one before it, so encourage your co-workers and family members to add their names to the list of informed, concerned citizens and make a call. It's easy - you will talk to an operator or congressional aid that will take notes and pass your comments along to your Congressman and/or Senator. I guarantee, you will know more about this issue that whoever you talk to. Your job is to make certain they understand your concerns and relay those concerns to your Washington representative. Make that call.
After you make your call, go to this LINK and post your call and result on the survey site.
Here's how the Virtual Capitol Hill Conference works:
- If you are going to DC, have your staff call their Representative and Senators while you are in DC.
- If you are not going, you and your staff should call your legislators.
- Call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-2131 and tell them the legislators name and they will connect you.
- If you know your legislator, call their Washington office directly.
- If you don't know your legislators name, Click Here, and enter your Zip Code in the space at the top right of the screen for a list.
- When you get your legislators office, ask for the Health Legislative Aide and share your message. If the Health LA isn't available, leave a message with another staff person.
- This is the sample script for your message:
o Hello, My name is (your name). I (own/work for)(your company) in (your city and state). We have been providing DME services to Medicare beneficiaries for (number) years.
o Medicare competitive bidding for DME in its current form will prove harmful to the Medicare patients we serve, and (my/our) company by causing reducing beneficiary choice and access to home medical equipment items and services.
o Please support the repeal and replacement of DMEPOS Competitive Bidding with the industry supported Market Pricing Program.
o The current flawed CMS program is failing.
o Claims volume in the initial bid areas in Round 1 is down 60 to 80% due to reduced access to medical equipment suppliers.
o This resulted because more than 80% of accredited DME suppliers in these areas can no longer provided the competitively bid items and services.
o This reduced access to home medical equipment will cause more ER visits, hospital admissions, and longer hospital stays, actually increasing Medicare's costs.
o The program is predicted to cause over 6000 DME companies to close and more than 80,000 Americans to lose their jobs.
o The market pricing program will replace competitive bidding with a more sustainable program that will preserve beneficiary access to DME. It will be implemented on the same timeline as the current bidding program and include the same items and services, and it addresses flaws in the current bidding program.
o Please call your Party's leadership and ask that the market pricing program be included in the Conference Committee's pending legislation to address the payroll tax and physician payment issues.
o Thank you for your help.
NAIMES would like to generate thousands of calls on February 16th. Don't forget, after you complete the call, Click On This Link, and tell us about your calls to DC. Please get involved in stopping competitive bidding.
Have an announcement? Please contact us!
