“Although an industry which provides life-sustaining equipment and services to Medicare beneficiaries cannot be considered as akin to a mutinous legion, CMS’ punishment of them is far harsher…”

Editor’s Note:  The Center for Regulatory Effectiveness’ comments to the White House Office of Management and Budget on CMS’ Information Collection Request for the home medical equipment bidding program is attached here. 

CRE’s comments document that the initial round of their program has “reduced the small business share of the Medicare home medical equipment market by almost half from CMS projections for 2012 and radically reduces the number of Medicare supplies by 85-95%.”

Moreover, “the overwhelming consensus by academic and federal experts” is that CMS program faces the “high probability of failure in the near future” and a “near certainty of failure sometime down the road.”

CRE’s comments to CMS on the ICR are attached here.