[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 6]
[House]
[Pages 7900-7901]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               MISHANDLING OF COMPETITIVE BIDDING PROCESS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise to voice my serious 
concern with Medicare's implementation of the durable medical 
equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies competitive bidding 
program.
  Despite strong congressional concern about the need for further 
transparency, the lack of binding bids during the contract process, and 
the improper vetting of the financials of many firms that have been 
awarded contracts, Medicare still plans to move forward with 
implementing round two of the program on July 1.
  We learned that Medicare awarded contracts under the program to 
dozens of firms that do not have the proper credentials to serve these 
contracts. In other words, leaving Medicare beneficiaries without the 
needed access to the durable medical equipment that allows them to live 
with dignity during times of disease and disability.
  Unfortunately, CMS has created a situation where servicing these 
contracts will either violate State licensure requirements or leave 
contracts unfulfilled, again leaving beneficiaries and consumers 
without access to the health care equipment that they need. 
Furthermore, unqualified bids from firms that are unlicensed to service 
contracts create significant distortions of the bid prices in every 
bidding area nationwide.
  I'm extremely concerned that mishandling of the bidding process is 
going to have a devastating impact on Medicare beneficiaries. This is a 
serious issue that warrants a full review of the process and a delay of 
round two until this fatally flawed program is fixed.
  I encourage my colleague to join me and Congressman Bruce Braley in 
cosigning a letter to the Medicare administrator requesting an 
administrative delay of the durable medical equipment competitive 
bidding program. This is absolutely necessary to ensure that older 
adults have access to the equipment that they require to live at home 
with independence and dignity. It also is about jobs as one of the 
unintended

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consequences, I believe, but it is still a devastating consequence 
regarding how the implementation of round two will continue to see the 
loss of small businesses all throughout this great Nation. And so I 
just encourage my colleagues to join Congressman Braley and I in 
signing this letter to the Medicare administrator.

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