Congressional Technical Correction Necessary to Clarify Exemption of Complex Rehab Wheelchair Accessories from Medicare Competitive Bidding

Congress Must Pass H.R. 3229 and S. 2196 to Protect Access for People with Disabilities

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that it will apply competitive bid pricing to Complex Rehab wheelchair accessories effective January 1, 2016. This violates the intent of past Congressional legislation (MIPPA 2008) and will inappropriately reduce payment rates for 171 wheelchair accessory codes from 20% to over 40%.

If not rescinded, this will hurt Medicare beneficiaries with significant disabilities as it will cause major decreases in availability (or outright elimination) of individually configured Complex Rehab wheelchair systems that these individuals rely on. These access problems will also extend to children and adults with disabilities covered under Medicaid and other health insurance programs.

Thankfully, legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives (H.R. 3229) and the Senate (S. 2196) that will prevent these cuts from happening and thereby protect access for people with disabilities. These bills will provide a legislative technical correction to clarify that CMS cannot apply Medicare competitive bidding pricing to accessories used with Complex Rehab wheelchairs.

Given the consequences and urgency, this legislation must be passed and enacted by December 31, 2015.

Choose from the options below to contact your legislators and ask them to pass H.R. 3229 and S. 2196 before the end of the year.

Congress Must Pass H.R. 3229 and S. 2196 to Protect Access for People with Disabilities

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