On October 9, Representatives Greg Murphy, M.D. (R-NC) and Brad Schneider (D-IL) introduced the Access to Medical Supplies Act, H.R. 10787. The bill would delay the inclusion of urological and ostomy supplies in the Medicare DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program for five years, establish a technical expert panel to evaluate whether these items are appropriate for competitive bidding and how such a program should be structured, and create a demonstration project to ensure beneficiaries keep access to these critical supplies.

Under CMS’ new Remote Item Delivery (RID) Competitive Bidding Program, a market currently served by more than 800 suppliers would shrink to roughly five to six national contract winners for these product categories. Ostomy and urological supplies are highly personalized medical devices that roughly one million Americans rely on every day. Patients often depend on specific product designs, materials, and sizes to prevent serious complications such as skin breakdown, antibiotic-resistant urinary tract infections, hospitalization, and other adverse health outcomes. 

Limiting product availability or reducing access to knowledgeable suppliers could undermine patient care while generating little meaningful savings for the Medicare program.

H.R. 10787 is a bipartisan bill that will ensure CMS fully understands the consequences before moving forward.

A pre-written message is shown on the right-hand side of the page; you are encouraged to add information about your company’s work supporting individuals who use ostomy and urological supplies and what RID CBP would do to your business and community. Please also share this link with your colleagues and contacts and ask them to take action as well.