ARLINGTON, Va., July 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ —
Providers of home medical equipment and services, such as
wheelchairs, oxygen therapy, and diabetic supplies, are recognizing
the importance of the 20th anniversary of the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) today. Home medical equipment and services
help seniors and people with disabilities to remain independent and
safe at home.
“We celebrate the opportunities and freedoms that the ADA has
created for millions of Americans,” said Tyler J. Wilson, president of the American
Association for Homecare, which represents providers of home
medical equipment and services.
“The homecare community will fight to preserve access to
medically required care and equipment that fosters this freedom and
independence, especially in light of Medicare policies, such as the
mislabeled ‘competitive’ bidding program, that are making it more
difficult for people to receive the devices and services they need
to continue to reside in their own homes.”
Dozens of patient advocacy organizations and more than 250
members of Congress oppose the badly designed bidding program for
medical equipment and services since it will force thousands of
home medical equipment businesses to close, reducing competition in
the long term and reducing access to care and choice of medical
equipment providers for the nation’s seniors and people living with
disabilities. The homecare community endorses legislation to create
an alternative payment policy, outlined in H.R. 3790, which would
reduce Medicare spending but preserve the infrastructure for
providing cost-effective durable medical equipment and services.
“I am worried about the impact of competitive bidding,” said
Lucy Spruill
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