STOP MEDICARE COMPETITIVE BID FOR HEALTHCARE

In 2008, thousands of Medicare recipients will receive their wheelchairs, oxygen, hospital beds and more, not from the local provider of their choice, but from suppliers who have agreed to accept the lowest prices for equipment and supplies.  Known as "Competitive Bidding", this new reimbursement scheme is actually anti-competitive.  Studies show in addition to losing the freedom to choose their supplier, competitive bidding will have a dramatic impact on service, the hallmark of today's responsive, competitive system.


If this plan goes through, many suppliers will be eliminated from participating in Medicare, threatening the viability of their business and eliminating jobs.

COMPETITIVE BIDDING WILL HAVE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES


PATIENT RISKS:  Loss of choice, confusion and inconvenience, potential to have 3 or more suppliers rather than their current provider, and dramatic cutbacks in service, availability, and responsiveness.


ECONOMIC RISKS:  Higher long-term Medicare costs, potential for hundreds of small business failures and job losses due to the elimination of independent competitors.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) should suspend further Competitive Bidding implementation.  Congress must repeal this bad public policy and restore patient choice.  

Dear Member of Congress,

We the undersigned ask that CMS immediately suspend further implementation of DME competitive bidding.  Implementation of competitive bidding will not result in lower costs to Medicare, but will profoundly change how millions of seniors will receive their needed medical equipment and supplies?



The unintended consequence of the program will:



  • Eliminate patient choice.
  • Confuse, and cause delays and inconvenience for patients.
  • Result in a dramatic reduction in service and supplier's responsiveness.
  • Result in higher long-term Medicare costs.
  • Produce inefficiency, fewer services, business failures and job losses.
  • Result in too few suppliers to meet the growing need of the rapidly expanding baby-boomer generation.


Competitive bidding will increase both patient risks and economic risks.



Please say NO to further implementation and expansion of the ill-conceived program that was inserted into the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 in the middle of the night.  Restore free-market principles by asking CMS to stop implementation of this bad public policy until CMS and Congress has had an opportunity to review the recently published study.  The solution to the high cost of Medicare is to hold accountable the agencies and contractors that allow waste, fraud, and abuse.

Thank you for your support and help.

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