[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 129 (Wednesday, September 10, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1378]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        INTRODUCING THE MEDICARE HOME INFUSION SITE OF CARE ACT

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                         HON. PATRICK J. TIBERI

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 10, 2014

  Mr. TIBERI. Mr. Speaker, the Medicare fee-for-service program stands 
virtually alone among health care payers in the United States in not 
fully recognizing the clinical and cost benefits of providing infusion 
drug therapy to patients in their homes. Infusion therapy is fully 
covered by Medicare in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, hospital 
outpatient departments, and physician offices, but not in patients' 
homes. As a result, Medicare beneficiaries in need of infusion therapy 
often must receive their treatments in health care facilities rather 
than in their homes, which is the setting that is the most desirable, 
convenient, and by far the most cost effective.
   This is unfortunate and unnecessary. In the private sector, the 
accepted standard of care and practice for over 30 years is to provide 
infusion therapy at home where medically indicated and when requested 
by the attending physician. Ironically, patients who have access to 
this benefit under their private plans lose this coverage when they 
enroll in Medicare.
   Medicare's lack of coverage of infusion therapy in the home setting 
can lead to substantial beneficiary lifestyle disruptions and costs. 
Because Medicare covers infusion services in institutional settings, 
the beneficiary either has to travel to a health care facility to 
receive infusion treatments, sometimes multiple times a day, or remain 
in a facility for the duration of the treatment episode.
   Today, Representative Eliot Engel and I are introducing The Medicare 
Home Infusion Site of Care Act so patients can receive the same 
infusion treatments in the comfort and convenience of their homes at a 
lower cost to Medicare. I look forward to working with Representative 
Engel and my other colleagues in Congress to see this commonsense bill 
move forward, and I urge all of my colleagues to support our bill to 
give patients better quality and better care at lower costs.

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