At a press conference held at The Children's Center at UCP of Long Island, Congressman Lee Zeldin emphasized the importance of his proposed H.R. 3229 Bill, a legislation that will protect people with disabilities by ensuring that they have access to vital equipment.
When the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA) of 2008 was passed into law it stated that Complex Rehabilitation Technology (CRT) devices would not be subject to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Competitive Bidding Program. Congress specifically excluded power wheelchairs and related accessories such as power controls for power chairs, seat/back cushions for proper positioning and tilt recline systems.
In November 2014, CMS issued a final ruling, which ignored the 2008 regulation. CMS stated that starting in January 2016 these accessories would no longer be part of a fixed fee schedule, but will be subject to Competitive Bidding Pricing. After hearing concerns of how Competitive Bidding Pricing could negatively impact access to CRT equipment, Congress enacted a one year delay-prohibiting CMS from applying Competitive Bidding Pricing to power wheelchair accessories through December 31, 2016.
Your support is urgently needed to help the permanent solution in the H.R. 3229 Bill to be passed by the end of this year. It will ensure that people with significant disabilities have access to all CRT power and manual wheelchair accessories.
