Seniors and people with disabilities threatened

With Medicare’s cuts to home medical equipment

January 1, 2016 – Phase 1 of Cuts

• Medicare implemented phase 1 of 2 cuts to home medical equipment and supplies covered under Medicare Part B• 25% reduction on reimbursement rates

for oxygen, CPAP, hospital beds, walkers, wheelchairs and more. • Cuts targeted rural America.• Cuts are a part of Medicare’s

Competitive Bidding Program.

Impact of Cuts on Local HME Providers

Local home medical equipment (HME) providers are small businesses that help seniors and people with disabilities maintain the highest quality of life by providing medical equipment and related services.

They know their patients intimately and are a critical part of the homecare system, which, when functioning correctly, keeps patients in the home and out of the hospital.

Impact of Cuts on Local HME Providers

HME providers have had to make drastic changes to accommodate the 25% January cut. In order to keep their doors open they have had to…

• Decrease staff• Purchase more generic equipment• Decrease their delivery times and

options

Impact of Cuts on Local HME ProvidersStaff and Service Areas Eliminated

“The indiscriminate and ill-planned cuts to medical equipment reimbursement by CMS/Medicare in the past two years have resulted in us eliminating seven full-time positions, eliminating five part-time positions and not filling another four full-time positions. In addition, we have had to modify services and service areas that leave some West Virginians in locations that simply cannot be serviced. “Given West Virginia’s unique geography and lack of infrastructure, the policies of CMS in our area to systematically limit providers will place many West Virginians in areas they cannot receive services. My mother, who lives in Hinton, is one such individual who has a significant limitation on resources available to her as she attempts to age gracefully in her home.”

- Michael Rudge, Loop Pharmacy & Home Medical, St. Albans, WV

Impact of Cuts on Medicare Beneficiaries

• Fewer HME companies in their area for equipment/service• Longer wait times for equipment• Decrease in the quality of equipment• More out-of-pocket expenses• Safety compromised• Read, Alicia Boyd’s story-

Counting Every Breath

Impact of Cuts on Medicare BeneficiariesPatient Safety Compromised

“One case that was shared with me is a patient who was using cheap diabetic strips to do their testing and ended up going into a diabetic coma due to the strips were not producing the correct blood glucose levels.  This is a direct result of suppliers having to look at alternative vendors/products.”

- Cindy Coy, Avera Home Medical Equipment

Impact of Cuts on Medicare BeneficiariesPatients Left Without Proper Equipment

“My name is Tina and I’m a caregiver to my 92-year-old mother who has dementia. I have been working since December 1, 2015, to get her a functioning walker. It’s February 17, 2016, and she still doesn’t have the walker she needs.

“We had to switch DME providers from a great, local company to a national provider due to the competitive bidding program. The company we used to work with was wonderful. They would come out to measure mom for the equipment she needed and provide great customer service. This is not the case anymore.”

- Tina, Caregiver, New York, Click here for Tina’s Story

The Situation Will Get Worse July 1, 2016

Medicare is planning for an additional 25 percent cut to medical equipment to go into effect on July 1, 2016. This will total average cuts to 50 percent.

If this happens, Medicare beneficiaries will struggle to get what they need, small businesses will be forced to close their doors and America’s rural health care systems will suffer.

We cannot afford for this to happen.

The Situation Will Get Worse July 1, 2016

“Not only does this put seniors at risk of not having access to the equipment, supplies and services they need to be cared for in their home, but it puts them in jeopardy of sizable out-of-pocket expenses like they have never seen before. What CMS (Medicare) is doing is unconscionable and is likely to be brutally harmful to some of our most vulnerable citizens.” 

-Patrick Naeger, Midwest Association for Medical Equipment Services, President

TAKE ACTION!

Senate bill S. 2736 has been introduced to postpone the July 1 cuts to medical equipment. Please urge your Senators to sign on.

America’s seniors and disability community needs you!www.peopleforqualitycare.org/takeaction