US Congress Senate Bill 2736 (Prior Session Legislation)

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Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 23-12-1)
Status: Engrossed on June 21 2016 - 50% progression, died in committee
Action: 2016-06-29 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Pending: House Subcommittee on Health Committee
Text: Latest bill text (Engrossed) [PDF]

Patient Access to Durable Medical Equipment Act of 2016 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish a bid ceiling for durable medical equipment (such as wheelchairs) under Medicare's competitive acquisition program, through which rates are set according to a bidding process rather than by an established fee schedule. Specifically, the bid ceiling for such an item shall not be less than the fee schedule amount that would otherwise be determined. Under current law, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) must use payment information from competitive acquisition programs to make payment adjustments for areas outside of such programs. The bill requires CMS, in making these adjustments, to account for stakeholder input. In addition, CMS must account for a comparison of competitive acquisition areas and other areas with respect to the following factors: average travel distance and cost associated with furnishing items and services, barriers to access, average delivery time, average volume of items and services furnished by suppliers, and number of suppliers. In addition, CMS shall delay by 15 months the full implementation of new Medicare payment rates for durable medical equipment. On a monthly basis, CMS must publish on its website the results of the monitoring of health outcomes and Medicare beneficiaries' access to durable medical equipment. The bill accelerates the applicability, from January 1, 2019, to October 1, 2018, of provisions of current law that limit federal Medicaid reimbursement to states for durable medical equipment to Medicare payment rates.

Patient Access to Durable Medical Equipment Act of 2016

Sen. John Thune [R-SD]	Sen. Heidi Heitkamp [D-ND]	Sen. Pat Roberts [R-KS]	Sen. Mike Crapo [R-ID]
Sen. Mike Rounds [R-SD]	Sen. Shelley Capito [R-WV]	Sen. Chuck Grassley [R-IA]	Sen. Joe Manchin [D-WV]
Sen. Steve Daines [R-MT]	Sen. John Barrasso [R-WY]	Sen. Thad Cochran [R-MS]	Sen. Mazie Hirono [D-HI]
Sen. Michael Bennet [D-CO]	Sen. Joni Ernst [R-IA]	Sen. Angus King [I-ME]	Sen. Jon Tester [D-MT]
Sen. Debbie Stabenow [D-MI]	Sen. James Lankford [R-OK]	Sen. Cory Gardner [R-CO]	Sen. Rob Portman [R-OH]
Sen. Charles Schumer [D-NY]	Sen. Susan Collins [R-ME]	Sen. Tim Kaine [D-VA]	Sen. Mark Warner [D-VA]
Sen. John Hoeven [R-ND]	Sen. Jerry Moran [R-KS]	Sen. Roy Blunt [R-MO]	Sen. Joe Donnelly [D-IN]
Sen. Tammy Baldwin [D-WI]	Sen. Mark Kirk [R-IL]	Sen. Michael Enzi [R-WY]	Sen. Brian Schatz [D-HI]
Sen. Rand Paul [R-KY]	Sen. Richard Burr [R-NC]	Sen. Roger Wicker [R-MS]	Sen. Ron Johnson [R-WI]

Date	Chamber	Action
2016-06-29	House	Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
2016-06-21	House	Referred to House Ways and Means
2016-06-21	House	Referred to House Energy and Commerce
2016-06-21	House	Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2016-06-21	House	Message on Senate action sent to the House.
2016-06-21	House	Received in the House.
2016-06-21	Senate	Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.
2016-06-21	Senate	S.Amdt.4853 Amendment SA 4853 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
2016-06-21	Senate	S.Amdt.4853 Amendment SA 4853 proposed by Senator McConnell for Senator Thune. (consideration: CR S4429-4430; text: CR S4429-4430)
2016-06-21	Senate	Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
2016-06-21	Senate	Senate Committee on Finance discharged by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S4429-4430)
2016-03-17	Senate	Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

HB5210 (Related) 2016-07-06 - Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Type	Source
Summary	https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/2736/all-info
Text	https://www.congress.gov/114/bills/s2736/BILLS-114s2736is.pdf
Text	https://www.congress.gov/114/bills/s2736/BILLS-114s2736es.pdf