AARC Contributes Funds to Push for Pulmonary Rehab’s Inclusion in Medicare Package
February 25, 2008
The AARC is joining several other organizations in pushing for the inclusion of the pulmonary rehabilitation legislation in the Medicare package likely to emerge from Congress when the temporary Medicare fix passed last year expires on June 30, 2008.
The Association just contributed financially to a coalition made up of the AARC and the American Thoracic Society, National Association for Medical Direction of Respiratory Care, American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation, and the COPD Foundation. The AARC funds will be combined with contributions from the other organizations to hire the Washington, DC, firm, Elmendorf Strategies, to assist with the effort.
“Study after study has shown the benefit of providing pulmonary rehabilitation to people with chronic lung disease,” says AARC Director of Legislative Affairs Miriam O’Day. “But the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will not issue a national coverage determination until the service is formally included in Medicare. We need this legislation to pass in order to ensure patient access to pulmonary rehab.”
Hiring outside counsel to assist with the final passage of a bill is not uncommon in Washington, DC, continues O’Day, and she says the AARC “is pleased to support retaining Elmendorf Strategies, whose principal, Steve Elmendorf, is a veteran democratic strategist.”
She also believes there is good reason to be optimistic about the inclusion of pulmonary rehab in Medicare legislation this year, noting that the provisions of S 329 and HR 552, “The Pulmonary and Cardiac Rehabilitation Act,” were in last year’s package until it was narrowed down, and the legislation has no opposition on the Hill. The legislation has bi-partisan support, and if you combine House and Senate co-sponsors, close to 200 member of Congress have offered their endorsement. The key will be the size of the overall Medicare package.
“Congress is laboring under the June 30 deadline and must address Medicare legislation,” says the director of legislative affairs. “The outstanding question is, what will it cost, and that will determine the size of the Medicare package. If the package is large enough to address more than the expiring provisions, pulmonary rehabilitation has very strong support for inclusion.”
The AARC’s contribution towards the hiring of Elmendorf Strategies is just the latest in a string of activities aimed at garnering support for pulmonary rehab. The bills are featured on the AARC web site and were recently covered in an educational webcast with state society presidents.
“We have encouraged our membership to contact their legislators and to engage patients in the campaign,” says O’Day, “and are asking that their activity be documented so that state advocates can bring these letters to Washington for their face-to-face meetings with members during our Capitol Hill Lobby Day in March.”
If you’d like to support pulmonary rehab legislation, visit the AARC’s Government Affairs web page and take action! You can read up on the bills, then use the Capitol Connection page to e-mail your members of Congress.