CMS Could Announce Bid Winners June 25
Much to providers’ collective chagrin, the next milestone in the national competitive bidding program may only be days away, according to published reports. CMS is expected to announce on June 25 the bid winners in all nine metro areas for the re-bid of Round One, according to representatives from the American Association for Homecare.
The CMS timeline was confirmed by Inside Health Policy, a regulatory website and newsletter. The site added that CMS will also disclose the payment amounts for the equipment covered by the re-bid and will mail the contract offers to qualifying winning bidders as well.
The June 25 announcement would allow CMS to “claim savings for the [Medicare] program before lawmakers leave for the July 4 recess,” Inside Healthy Policy noted.
Even while CMS moves toward unveiling bid winners, the industry continues its push to gain support for killing the bidding program. H.R. 3790, the bill introduced by Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-Fla.) that calls for the repeal of competitive bidding, is moving forward. The latest number of co-sponsors stands at 246 lawmakers in the House of Representatives.
Further, AAHomecare has been working to develop a companion bill in the Senate. On June 21, association leaders and top providers will host a dinner in honor of Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.). Sen. Conrad and Sen. Orrin Hatch introduced AAHomecare legislation to improve the competitive bidding program in the 110th Congress.