November 19th, 2009

Reports the Lewistown Sentinel:

State representatives voiced their support Tuesday for a bill that would eliminate competitive bidding on home medical equipment.

Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., and Rep. Jason Altmire, D-Pa., were two keynote speakers during a media conference call hosted by the Pennsylvania Association of Medical Suppliers.

According to a press release by the company, HR 3790 is a bill that would eliminate the bid program and reduce Medicare spending, preserve access to quality homecare, and save thousands of small businesses.

The bill was introduced on Oct. 13 and already has strong bipartisan support from 64 members of Congress and numerous national disability groups, the release states.

“Over the past year, numerous experts have said that this competitive bidding process … could force small medical equipment providers nationwide out of the marketplace and make it harder for the millions of patients who rely on homecare to access the specialized equipment and services they need,” according to the release.

John Shirvinsky, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of Medical Suppliers, said the bidding program is deceptively labeled as “competitive.”

Unless it is stopped by Congress, he said, “it will result in dire consequences.”

Read more at the Sentinel.