MDA Requests Advocacy Action

Following is a from a message received from the MDA:

We're calling all members of our MDA community to help us put an end to Medicare's competitive bidding program for durable medical equipment services and supplies.

Representatives Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., and Jason Altmire, D-Pa., have introduced H.R. 1041, also known as the Fairness in Medicare Bidding Act. It's a bipartisan bill to repeal the Medicare competitive bidding program for quality durable medical equipment and prosthetics, orthotics and supplies (DMEPOS) for seniors and people with disabilities.

Since the bidding program began January 1, patients, clinicians and home care providers have reported:

• difficulty finding a local equipment or service provider;
• delays in obtaining medically required equipment and services;
• longer than necessary hospital stays due to trouble discharging patients to home-based care; and
• fewer choices in providers and reduced quality.

Please contact your local member of the House of Representatives and let her/him know that you support H.R. 1041 and the elimination of Medicare's durable medical equipment competitive bidding program.

Make sure that our unified community's voice is heard. Taking action takes less than 5 minutes. We have posted a template on our website to help you get started. It's easy — just open the tool, click on the name of the bill, and enter your ZIP code to take action now!

Also, please share this information with friends, family, neighbors and co-workers, and ask them to Take 5!

There is great strength in our MDA community.

Annie Kennedy

MDA Senior Vice President — Advocacy