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News
3/18/2010
Press Release - JAMES in Washington
Jersey Association of Medical Equipment Services
Press Release
CONTACT: Wendy Russalesi, 732-503-5665, wrussalesi@jamesofnj.org
New Jersey Medical Equipment Suppliers Travel to Washington to Advocate for Better Home Medical Care for Seniors and People with Disabilities
JACKSON, N.J. March 18, 2010 ------ Homecare providers from New Jersey-based home medical equipment companies travelled to Washington, D.C. earlier this month to urge members of Congress to strengthen, not weaken, homecare as an option for the millions of older Americans and people with disabilities who require home-based medical equipment and services.
“Home-based care is by far the most cost-effective setting for post-acute care,” said Wendy Russalesi, Executive Director of the Jersey Association of Medical Equipment Services (JAMES). “Quality home medical equipment and services help to reduce hospitalizations, ER visits, and admission to nursing homes.”
The group met with the state’s Senators, Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez, as well as New Jersey Representatives John Adler, Robert Andrews, Rodney Frelinghuysen, Rush Holt, Leonard Lance, Frank LoBiondo, Frank Pallone, Bill Pascrell, Albio Sires and Chris Smith.
New Jersey home medical equipment providers asked members of Congress to support H.R. 3790, a bipartisan bill that would preserve access to homecare and provide a cost-effective alternative to a misguided Medicare “competitive” bidding program for durable medical equipment.
“This bidding program is actually anti-competitive,” said Russalesi. “It will ultimately put many of the best community-focused providers out of business, eliminating competition in the long run. It also promotes irresponsible ‘suicide bidding’ using economic coercion to force providers to bid at unsustainable reimbursement rates. For providers here in New Jersey, it’s a job killer. Coming on top of the many other reimbursement cuts our sector has suffered, this bid program will reduce services that Medicare beneficiaries need.”
H.R. 3790 would replace the Medicare bidding program with other types of cost-savings and at the same time preserves access to home-based care. The bill currently has 182 cosponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives, with strong bipartisan support that includes roughly equal proportions of Democrats and Republicans as cosponsors. Congressmen Andrews and Lance became the latest New Jersey legislators to sign onto the bill as a result of the meetings in Washington. They join New Jersey Representatives LoBiondo, Payne, Rothman and Sires as cosponsors.
Russalesi was among several hundred providers of home medical equipment gathering in Washington at a conference hosted by the American Association for Homecare, which represents providers of home medical equipment and services.
JAMES is New Jersey’s leader in medical equipment advocacy and education, representing more than 70 member companies serving patients and communities across the state.
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