NAIMES continues to work with key legislators and industry supporters to permanently repeal the ill-conceived bidding program that guarantees decreased patient access to medical equipment at home, reduces competition, and eliminates patient choice.

Is your Congressman a co-sponsor of H.R. 3790, the bill to repeal competitive bidding? Download the map to find out!

Click here to view the projected job losses as a result of competitive bidding. Click here to download a PDF of projected job losses as a result of competitive bidding. The 2008 delay in the implementation of Competitive Bidding was paid for with a 9.5% cut to all DME reimbursements.  Ironically, this cut alone has resulted in reducing Medicare’s DME expenditures by nearly twice CMS’s 2003 projected savings without the administrative costs.  Given the growing demographic of aging Americans, further cuts under the guise of “Medicare spending reductions” are penny wise and pound foolish.

H.R. 3790 would cut HME reimbursements to offset elimination of the bidding program:

• In 2010, 2011, and 2012, the bill would eliminate the annual payment update (CPI-U) and reduce payment rates for all HME items by 0.25 percent in each year.

• In 2014, the bill would eliminate the additional two percent increase in HME payment rates.  All HME items would still receive the annual CPI-U update.

• In 2015, the bill would eliminate the annual CPI-U update for all HME items and reduce payment rates for all HME items by 0.5 percent.

Talking Points:

Talking Points about Flaws in Competitive Bidding