Going back to DC - Again...

Monday afternoon I will be flying to Washington DC for the annual AAHomecare Legislative Fly-In – an opportunity to meet with the offices of our elected officials and continue a strong dialogue about the role of homecare in the healthcare continuum and the impact of pending legislation and regulation on the patients and institutions we serve.
There will be 10 other members from the New England Medical Equipment Dealers (NEMED) attending, giving our region a great presence in the nation’s capital for this important event.
Key issues being addressed by our sector are, as always, defensive reactions to pending or existing legislation which will have a damaging effect on our industry:
Removing HME from any cut to pay for other areas of healthcare
Home Oxygen Patient Protection Act (HOPP) H.R. 2373
Repeal of Competitive Bidding
We continue to deliver the overall message that homecare is the most cost efficient care delivery setting, as well as the preferred method for patients and families to receive care. Additionally, we have been subjected to over a decade of unrelenting cuts to the reimbursement of the services we provide, while other sectors of healthcare have allowed costs to grow at a rate of inflation which is double, and in some cases triple the nominal inflation rate.
As a country it’s time we get honest with ourselves about where and why the cost of healthcare is growing and get aggressive about delivering a fix that will curtail growth in those areas, despite the best wishes of high paid lobbyists and generous campaign giving. We need a fix, we need empirical data, and we need some folks with integrity to stand up and deliver for us in Washington.
I hope my voice will be part of a small but consistent chorus that can educate our elected officials about the benefits our services provide, the positive net impact we have on the healthcare system and the individual Americans who rely on that system. We are a very small part of the healthcare system, comprised largely of small, community based businesses – a structure which doesn’t necessarily lend itself well for making your voice heard in Washington. But we continue to work hard and try to ensure that it’s not those with the deepest pockets who shape the entire care delivery system to their ultimate benefit and that the voice of small businesses are heard and the concerns of our patients and customers are shared.