Federal Legislation
Medicare Reimbursement Legislation -- 75/25 Relief in Remains a Priority for the 119th Congress
Jan. 2025 Update: Provisions to restore Medicare 75/25 blended rates in non-bidding, non-rural areas are not a part of the
legislative package to continue government funding at the end of the 118th Congress.
DME relief had tremendous support on the Hill. The House and Senate negotiations regarding the health care section of the package were very contentious. In the end, negotiators could not
reach an agreement on the DME relief, and the 75/25 provisions were not included in the final bill.
AAHomecare is proud of effort our industry made in advancing H.R. 5555 and S. 1294. Over the 118th Congress, we saw hundreds of Hill meetings, multiple fly-ins, in-district meetings, and more than 11,000 emails supporting the relief legislation. Your grassroots advocacy helped generate strong bipartisan support and paved the way for approval by the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Senate Finance Committee. The bills were also scored by the Congressional Budget Office and reviewed by CMS. Our ranks of supporters continued to grow. AAHomecare and HME stakeholders did everything possible to get the legislation ready to be included in an Omnibus spending package.
Our leadership and lobbying team is working with our champions on Capitol Hill on strategy to reintroduce and advance Medicare reimbursement relief in the 119th Congress. Given that the
December 2024 bill only continues government spending through March 14, 2025, and that other major healthcare initiatives with broad support on Capitol Hill were not included in
December’s bill, there may be an opportunity to advocate for our relief as part of that next package.
Our work with Congress is underpinned by the HME community's sustained and passionate grassroots advocacy . Your direct engagement with your Senators and Representatives through
one-on-one meetings, hosting site visits, phone calls, emails, follow-ups – and more follow-ups – is the most important component of legislative efforts. We'll be looking
for your support again in 2025 to help us advance legislation that strengthen our nation’s healthcare infrastructure by securing Medicare reimbursement rates that better reflect the
market reality the HME sector faces.
AAHomecare will provide additional details on our 2025 advocacy plans shortly.
We’re Here to Help!
The AAHomecare team is happy to help you in your outreach to Capitol Hill on HME policy proirities, including crafting your note, find the appropriate contact, respond to any feedback you get from the Hill, or answer any other questions. Please email Gordon Barnes (gordonb@aahomecare.org) for assistance.