The House, in a 355-59 vote Tuesday, passed legislation that would delay for 18 months the bidding process that is set to take effect Tuesday. Then, "I hope we can use that 18 months to re-evaluate the thought process on the whole idea," Rep. Jason Altmire, D-McCandless, said Wednesday.
The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has said the changes will prevent fraud and save taxpayers $1 billion a year, as companies that provide items in 10 categories cut their prices. Medicare beneficiaries in Pittsburgh could save 28 percent a year, estimates say.
Spokesman Peter Ashkenaz said yesterday that pushing back the new program "would mean a delay in savings for Medicare beneficiaries on high quality supplies, available through accredited suppliers."
Altmire said the House bill would cut reimbursement rates by 9.5 percent to create a cost savings, yet allow small, independent businesses to keep serving Medicare recipients who need items such as wheelchairs that often must be specially fitted for them.
Large, national providers usually will beat the small providers' prices. But Tammy Zeleko with Advacare Home Services Inc, with offices in Aspinwall, Beaver and Bridgeville, said Medicare administrators didn't factor in the education and ongoing service patients need.
Most of the large companies are out of state and won't set up offices or staffs in the region, she said, and many won't have the state certifications by Tuesday that they need to provide oxygen, for example. Advacare won a bid to distribute oxygen for the Pittsburgh area.
Altmire wouldn't predict the outcome of the Senate vote. "It is going to be very close," he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment