Date: Thursday, December 13, 2018
Category: News
RESNA has joined NCART to support the IMPROVE Act (H.R. 7217), which has been in the works for the past 3+ years. This passed in the US House of Representatives this week. The Bill now goes to the Senate for approval.
Please read the letter from RESNA President Mary Ellen Buning addressed to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
The bill will appropriately exclude Complex Rehab manual wheelchairs from Medicare’s Competitive Bidding Program. These wheelchairs are not currently included, and this mirrors the current statute which exempts Complex Rehab “power” wheelchairs. The bill also suspends the application of competitive bid pricing to related critical components (aka “accessories”) for eighteen months. This mirrors similar actions taken by Congress in the 21st Century Cures Act for Complex Rehab power wheelchairs.
These important provisions are based on legislation originally introduced in the Senate by Senators Bob Casey and Rob Portman (S. 486) and in the House by Representatives Lee Zeldin and John Larson (H.R. 3730). Both bills garnered broad bipartisan co-sponsorship and are also supported by over 50 national disability and medical professional organizations.
Call your senator to support this legislation.