In the News - Your Action Required: Senate Acts on Pulmonary Rehab Benefit

Update June 24, 2008:

The House of Representatives has passed HR 6331, their version of the Medicare package, which does include the pulmonary rehab language.

Two other important pieces of news to come in the House Medicare bill:

Competitive bidding would be delayed from its July 1 implementation date.
The 36-month rent-to-own provision would be repealed.

Here is what needs to happen at this time:

Continue to contact your Senators and urge them to support the “Medicare Package” that is being worked on in the Senate. These contacts can be e-mail, fax or phone. The Capitol Connection links below are still the easiest way to make contact.
Continue to monitor the AARC website for updates on how things are going. We fully expect there to be a vote in the Senate on a Medicare Package and then the need to negotiate one common bill between the House and Senate. We need to ensure pulmonary rehab and other important provisions remain in the final legislation.

Provisions of the Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Act (S 329 and HR 552) have been added to a Medicare package and AARC members need to write now to voice their support. Both the House and Senate include these important pulmonary rehab provisions in their Medicare proposals. The message from the AARC is that: Now is the time to act to exert influence over your members of the House and Senate to ensure patient access to care.

In the Senate
The provisions of S 329, which will create a pulmonary rehab benefit, are included in the large Medicare package that the Senate will vote on before July 1. Director of Government Affairs Cheryl West says, “But much can happen between now and when the Senate passes the bill. Trade-offs are being made and unless Congress hears from voters, there is the distinct possibility that the provisions creating the pulmonary rehab benefit will be deleted. You know, it’s the squeaky wheel concept.”

AARC is urging its members and friends to keep pressure on Senators to keep the provisions of S 329 in the Medicare package. Send an email through our easy-to-use Capitol Connection system.

In the House of Representatives
The House of Representative initially did not include the provisions of HR 552, but their latest version has added the pulmonary rehab benefit.

AARC is asking that you send letters urging your member of the House to continue to support the pulmonary rehab provisions as they are currently written in their package.

West explains that there will be negotiations between the House and Senate to build one cohesive Medicare package. It is important that pulmonary rehab provisions remain in the negotiated package.

Said West, “The AARC and the respiratory therapy community have been working for years for Congressional action that will clearly make pulmonary rehabilitation a Medicare benefit. We are very close to having this become a reality, but members of Congress must hear from you to make sure the pulmonary rehab provisions remain in the final Medicare package.”