Attending a local Town Hall meeting with your member of Congress can make an impact and get conversations started. Research when these meetings will occur and ask respectful, concise questions, including the following:
- Will you support the SOAR Act to ensure Medicare beneficiaries have reliable access to medically necessary supplemental oxygen, including liquid oxygen for patients who depend on it?
- Respiratory therapists are on the front lines of helping patients quit smoking, but Medicare doesn’t allow qualified respiratory therapists to bill directly for tobacco cessation counseling. Will you support the AIR Act to improve access to these evidence-based Medicare Part B services? The AIR Act would authorize qualified respiratory therapists to furnish and bill Medicare for existing tobacco cessation counseling services under a physician-established plan of care, using existing Medicare-covered billing codes.
- Our healthcare system faces a growing respiratory workforce shortage. What will you do to strengthen the respiratory care workforce and ensure Medicare beneficiaries have access to respiratory therapists in physician offices, community clinics, and other outpatient settings where preventive care can keep patients healthier and out of the hospital? The AIR Act is intentionally designed as a targeted Medicare Part B billing authority for tobacco cessation counseling.
These questions are short enough for a town hall, educate the audience, and naturally invite the Member of Congress to state a public position on AARC’s legislative priorities.