This week, TAHC&H called upon membership for assistance in contacting Members of Congress to join a bipartisan Congressional sign-on letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to rescind its prior authorization notice for the Medicare home health benefit. The letter to CMS, led by Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) and Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), calls
for more targeted solutions to address program integrity without
jeopardizing patient care.
Since Monday, over 250 TAHC&H members have contacted their federal representatives to join the sign-on letter. Members of the Texas delegation in Congress who have joined the sign-on letter as a result of advocacy from TAHC&H members are Rep. Kenny Marchant (Dist. 24-Irving), Chairman Mac Thornberry (Dist. 13-Amarillo), Chairman Pete Sessions (Dist. 32-Dallas), Chairman Lamar Smith (Dist. 21-San Antonio), Chairman Mike Conaway (Dist. 11-Midland), Rep. Brian Babin (Dist. 36-Woodville), Rep. Ted Poe (Dist. 2-Humble), Chairman Jeb Hensarling (Dist. 5-Dallas), Rep. Louie Gohmert (Dist. 1-Tyler), Rep. Neugebauer (Dist. 19-Lubbock) and Rep. Pete Olson (Dist. 22- Sugar Land).
We need a stronger showing from the Texas delegation in Congress on the sign-on letter. Please
keep up the momentum and continue calling your Member of Congress to
join the sign-on letter using the talking points provided and the Dear Colleague letter.
As background, in February, CMS proposed a demonstration program for Medicare home health prior authorization in 5 designated states including Texas. The demonstration program, which was announced in the Paperwork Reduction Act notice in the Federal Register here, means CMS would have to review and approve home health services before any Medicare beneficiary could begin receiving services.
TAHC&H is firmly opposed to the home health prior authorization demonstration. Read our response to the proposed pilot from April 1, 2016. National organizations who have come out against the prior authorization demonstration for home health are the American Hospital Association (AHA), the Federation of American Hospitals (FAH), the American Medical Association (AMA), the Partnership for Home Health, the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC), and the Visiting Nurse Associations of America (VNAA).
We highly encourage membership to contact their federal Representative to express opposition to the prior authorization demonstration for the Medicare home health benefit and alert them of the bipartisan sign-on letter. If one of the above signers is your Member of Congress, please thank them for taking action by calling their office or using their website contact forms.
Pictured here: Rep. Mac Thornberry with TAHC&H members Denise Stahmer, Jerre van den Bent, Rose Rash, Ronnie Madison, President of the Board Ken Cargle and Executive Director Rachel Hammon in Washington, DC last month. Among the topics discussed was the prior authorization demonstration.