Your advocacy in action works! Late yesterday, Reps. Tom Price (R-GA-6) and James McGovern (D-MA-2) filed H.R. 6626, Pre-Claim Undermines Seniors' Health (PUSH) Act, that would impose a one year moratorium on the Pre-Claim Review Demonstration (PCR) and requires the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to report to Congress on the impact of the project on patients, home health agencies, physicians, and Medicare spending.
TAHC&H in concert with all of the State Associations and the National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) worked together with Price’s office to get this bill filed. Texas came out in strong support of the bill by having 3 powerful Texas co-sponsors on the bill. The Pre-Claim Undermines Seniors’ Health (PUSH) Act (H.R. 6226) is co-sponsored by Rep. Kenny Marchant (R-TX-24), Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX-1) and Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX-13). We have many more Texas members interested in co-sponsoring this bill. TAHC&H has been working with the entire Texas Delegation, to garner support for the bill prior to last night's filing.
KEEP THE CALLS GOING! It is important for you to call your members of congress and encourage them to sign on to H.R. 6626 the PUSH act. This bill is filed, but it has a long way to go to pass.
PCR began in Illinois on August 3, 2016 and almost immediately created chaos in the state’s home health agencies (HHA) and for their patients. Problems included a 60-80 percent non-affirmed rate, burdensome and time-consuming paperwork, an inefficient electronic system that cannot process the documentation, physician unfamiliarity with what is needed for PCR due to poor education from CMS, and considerable cash flow problems at agencies. At least one Illinois HHA has closed due to PCR. This led to HHAs withholding the start of care to patients until a favorable decision is received, resulting in longer hospital stays.
As Rep. Price wrote in a “Dear Colleague” letter to his fellow members of Congress, PCR “is creating barriers to care and forcing providers to incur significant unnecessary burdens to support an overly broad, untargeted, and ineffective demonstration.” TELL YOUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, sign on to the “Dear colleague” letter.
The CMS scheduled PCR to spread to Florida and Texas later this year, with Michigan and Massachusetts following no earlier than the start of 2017. However, earlier this month CMS announced a delay in the spread of PCR, due to pressure from both the state and national associations and the weight of evidence from the Illinois experiment.
TAHC&H whole-heartedly supports the PUSH Act and we commend Reps. Price, McGovern and the Texas Members for their leadership and support on this issue!